• Source:JND
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Police have arrested five more suspects linked to the theft of treasures worth $102 million from the Louvre museum's Apollo gallery, the Paris prosecutor said on Thursday, expressing hope the latest developments will help them find the jewels.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told radio station RTL the suspects, one of whom was identified through DNA traces left at the crime scene, had been arrested in coordinated raids in different parts of the capital on Wednesday evening.

"Partially admitted" their involvement

Shortly before the latest arrests were made, Beccuau revealed that two other men detained over the weekend in connection with the heist had "partially admitted" their involvement in the robbery. One of the pair had been trying to fly out of France when detained.

ALSO READ: Louvre Heist Suspect Arrested At Paris Airport While Attempting To Fly To Algeria; Second Arrest In $102 Million Theft

"At that point, we obviously had to speed up the arrest operations," Beccuau told RTL. She said the jewels were still missing, but expressed optimism those arrested might be able to provide more information about the sequence of events. The heist exposed security lapses at the world's most-visited museum and was seen by many as a cause for national humiliation.

Four people carried out the robbery, but Beccuau has said she did not rule out the possible involvement of a wider network, including a person who could have ordered the theft and been the mastermind behind it. 

ALSO READ: Louvre Heist Mystery: Two Suspects Arrested After $102 Million Jewel Theft At World’s Most Famous Museum

French police have acknowledged major gaps in the Louvre’s defenses, turning the dazzling daylight theft into a national reckoning over how France protects its treasures.

Algerian national arrested

One of those who has been charged is a 34-year-old Algerian national who has been living in France since 2010, Beccuau said. He was arrested at Charles de Gaulle airport as he was about to fly to Algeria with no return ticket. He was living in a suburb north of Paris, Aubervilliers, and was known to police mostly for road traffic offenses. His DNA was found on one of the scooters used by robbers to leave the scene, she said.

The other suspect, 39, was arrested at his home in Aubervilliers. The man was known to police for several thefts, and his DNA was found on one of the glass cases where the jewels were displayed and on items the thieves left behind, she added.

(With inputs from agencies)


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