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Four More Arrested in Daring Louvre Heist, Security Lapses Under Scrutiny
Parisian authorities have announced the arrest of four additional suspects in connection with last month’s audacious $102 million jewel heist at the iconic Louvre Museum. The latest arrests bring the total number of individuals in custody for the high-profile theft to eight.
According to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, whose office is leading the investigation, two men and two women, aged between 31 and 40, have been taken into custody. Details regarding their specific roles in the historic robbery have not yet been released.
The arrests come amidst ongoing scrutiny of the Louvre’s security measures. Laurence des Cars, the museum’s director, previously acknowledged a “terrible failure” in security, admitting that despite daily efforts, the museum had fallen short.
Des Cars revealed that a critical security camera monitoring the exterior of the museum was facing away from the balcony that provided access to the Apollo Gallery, where the priceless jewels were displayed. She also confirmed that all internal alarms were functional during the break-in.
In response to the incident, des Cars has detailed heightened security measures to the Committee of Cultural Affairs of the National Assembly. She explained that the thieves utilized disc cutters to breach the display cases, a method of attack that was “not imagined at all” when the cases were last replaced in 2019 to protect against weapon attacks.
The prosecutor’s office previously stated that the thieves appeared to have used a truck-mounted lift, typically employed for heavy furniture, to reach the museum’s second floor. This allowed them to break into the Apollo Gallery in broad daylight on October 19 and make off with eight jewels collectively valued at 88 million euros, or $102 million.
The stolen treasures include a diamond-and-emerald necklace gifted by Napoleon to Empress Marie-Louise, jewels associated with 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and Empress Eugénie’s pearl-and-diamond tiara. None of the stolen items have been recovered.
Des Cars expressed profound regret over the loss, stating, “We failed these jewels,” and emphasized that no institution is safe from “brutal thieves – not even the Louvre.”
Preliminary charges have already been filed against three men and one woman who were arrested in October in connection with the heist.