2 suspects in Louvre jewel theft caught

According to AFP, one of the suspects was arrested on Saturday evening while preparing to board an international flight.

After a week of intense pursuit, police managed to apprehend the first members of the team that carried out last Sunday’s daring heist at the Louvre.

According to published information, two of the criminals involved in the robbery—which drew global attention—were arrested on Saturday evening, local time. One of them was detained while attempting to board a flight to Algeria.

The arrest operation took place around 10 p.m. local time, conducted by the Brigade de Répression du Banditisme (BRB)—the anti-gang unit in charge of the investigation—which had mobilized over 100 investigators during the past week.

At the same time, the second suspect was arrested by the Paris Judicial Police in Seine-Saint-Denis.

The Louvre Museum, the world’s largest and most visited museum, was the target of an armed robbery last Sunday morning. The swift heist—lasting four minutes according to the Minister of Culture, and seven minutes according to France’s Interior Minister—shocked France both for the nature of the operation and for the value of the stolen items.

The stolen objects consisted of eight pieces of jewelry belonging to Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie, described as “priceless.”

The initial estimate of damage and loss to the Louvre is reported to be €88 million.