Two suspects arrested in Louvre jewel heist

“CONCERN FOR THE JEWELLERY”

The brazen theft made headlines across the world and sparked a debate in France about the security of cultural institutions. 

The Louvre’s director has admitted the robbers had exploited a blind spot in the security surveillance of the museum’s outside walls.

But Beccuau said public and private security cameras elsewhere had allowed detectives to track the thieves “in Paris and in surrounding regions”. 

Investigators were also able to find DNA samples and fingerprints at the scene from items left behind by the robbers as they fled, including gloves, a high-vis vest, a blowtorch and power tools. 

The robbers also dropped a crown that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, which was damaged and needs to be restored. 

The rest of the pieces have not been recovered and risk being broken apart, their precious metal settings melted down. 

Nunez expressed his “concern” for the jewellery in an interview with French weekly La Tribune Dimanche on Sunday. He said the heist appeared to have been carried out by an organised crime group but added that “thieves are always eventually caught”. 

“The loot is unfortunately often stashed abroad. I hope that’s not the case – I remain confident,” he added.

The Louvre theft is the latest in a string of robberies targeting French museums. 

Less than 24 hours after the Louvre break-in, a museum in eastern France reported the theft of gold and silver coins after finding a smashed display case.