Four More Suspects Arrested in Louvre Robbery Investigation
The saga of the historic Louvre Museum heist continues. Officials in Paris announced on Tuesday that four more people have been arrested in connection with the robbery, bringing the total number of arrests up to eight. Here is a look at the ongoing investigation of this brazen robbery.
Police in Paris Arrest 4 More in Connection with Louvre Robbery
Prosecutors in Paris issued a statement on Tuesday, confirming that four more suspects were arrested in connection with the headline-grabbing robbery at the world's most famous art museum. Over $102 million in jewels were taken during the robbery that happened in broad daylight while the museum was open.
The statement detailed that the four suspects are two men and two women between the ages of 31 and 40. All of the suspects are from the Paris area. The prosecutor's office statement did not elaborate on the charges, nor did it provide additional information about the possible role that the newly arrested suspects played in the October 19 heist.
The robbery made international news primarily due to its boldness. The robbery only took seven minutes from start to finish. Law enforcement authorities said that four men used a truck equipped with an extendable ladder to scale a wall to a balcony on the second floor of the museum. From there, the men used power tools and angle grinders to break a window that led into the museum's famous Gallery of Apollo.
The accused robbers were able to use the tools to smash the glass display cases in the gallery and steal the jewels. This was all happening as alarms blasted and visitors ran off the premises. The thieves fled the scene on motorbikes, making off with eight historic artifacts.
The stolen pieces include earrings and a necklace owned by Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, relatives of Napoleon I. A stunning emerald necklace worn by Empress Marie-Louise, the second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, was also snatched during the raid. The jewels are still missing.
Investigators believe that the thieves attempted to steal more pieces from the collection. Police were able to recover a gold crown covered in diamonds and emeralds from the scene. This crown was once owned by Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III.
New Arrests Come Weeks After Prior Charges
The news of the arrests of four individuals comes a few weeks after law enforcement authorities arrested three men and one woman, allegedly connected to the burglary. Prosecutors have filed preliminary charges against all of these individuals after connecting them to the scene of the crime using DNA evidence. This included DNA samples found on the scooter that the robbers used to escape. Items left behind at the scene also contained DNA evidence used to identify the suspects.
One of the men was detained at a French airport trying to board a plane with a one-way ticket to Algeria. The woman reportedly shares children with one of the suspects. She has denied being involved in the crime.
The three male suspects detained in October have been charged with organized robbery. The woman has been charged with complicity in an organized robbery.
Some experts believe that the missing jewelry may have been melted and sold so that it could not be traced.
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