**Five New Suspects Arrested in French Crown Jewels Heist at the Louvre**
*Oct. 30 (UPI)* — Police in France have arrested five new suspects in connection with the theft of priceless French crown jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris, the city’s chief prosecutor announced.
The office of Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed that the men were detained in and around Paris on Wednesday night. However, despite the arrests, the stolen jewels—estimated to be worth more than $100 million—have not yet been recovered.
This development comes 10 days after a brazen daylight heist was captured on CCTV. Four suspects were seen using a lift-ladder mounted on the back of a stolen truck to break into the museum’s Apollon Gallery. They then fled the scene on getaway motorcycles, disappearing into nearby back streets.
Prosecutor Beccuau revealed that DNA evidence from one of the recently arrested suspects could match traces left at the crime scene. She identified this individual as someone authorities had been monitoring and believes he was part of the group that executed the theft. “He’s one we had in our sights,” Beccuau said, adding that the other detainees “can give us information about how the theft was carried out.”
French police have up to four days to formally charge the five suspects, or they must be released.
Earlier, two other men in their 30s, both with police records and suspected of using power tools to gain entry, were arrested on Saturday—one at the airport while boarding a flight to Algeria. Investigators now believe the gang involved in the heist extends beyond those currently in custody.
Among the stolen treasures were an emerald and diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon I to his second wife, Marie Louise; a diadem adorned with nearly 2,000 diamonds and over 200 pearls that belonged to Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III; and six other priceless pieces dating back to the early 1800s. Notably, Eugenie’s diamond- and emerald-encrusted crown was left behind after the gang dropped it on the road during their hurried escape.
The thieves, disguised as maintenance workers, accessed a second-floor balcony overlooking the River Seine, shattered a window, and used disc cutters to break into glass display cases housing the jewels.
Following the robbery, the Louvre temporarily closed. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati condemned the incident as “an attack on France.” Nine of the museum’s 28 galleries, including the Apollon Gallery, remained closed the day after the theft, according to the museum’s website.
In response, the Louvre has relocated some of its most valuable exhibits—including precious jewels—to the Bank of France. These treasures are now stored securely in the bank’s main underground vault, located 85 feet below rue Croix des Petits Champs, just a short distance from the museum.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/10/30/France-Louvre-heist-new-arrests/1881761813208/