Five new suspects arrested over Louvre robbery, jewels still missing

Five new suspects have been arrested as part of the investigation into the Louvre burglary. They were apprehended simultaneously  across the Paris region around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, October 29. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated on RTL this Thursday that it was "too early" to disclose the suspects’ profiles.

"One of them had been a target for investigators because we had DNA evidence linking him, in our view, to the committed theft," she nevertheless specified.

The first two suspects arrested on Saturday have partially admitted to the charges. "They eventually acknowledged their involvement in this burglary," Laure Beccuau said on RTL. She added that the investigation "continues to identify all those involved."

Jewels still missing

The jewels "could not be found" during this latest wave of arrests, the Paris prosecutor said on RTL. The thieves’ loot is significant: eight Crown jewels, including Empress Eugénie’s tiara adorned with nearly 2,000 diamonds, as well as the sapphire necklace that belonged to Marie-Amélie, the last Queen of France, and to Hortense de Beauharnais, mother of Napoleon III.

The prosecutor assured on RTL that investigators are "determined" to recover the stolen jewels. To find them, Laure Beccuau has called on the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property. "This office is currently examining the entire legal art market and, moreover, there are a number of parallel markets that this office’s expertise allows it to explore, and here too, we are being vigilant."