French police arrested five more persons in connection with the Oct. 19 jewel burglary at the Louvre Museum. One of them is thought to be the ringleader. According to Reuters, the arrests were made on Wednesday in and around Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis. None of the stolen items have been found.
Laure Beccuau, the prosecutor in Paris, claimed that DNA evidence links the main suspect to the four-man team that broke into an upstairs gallery and stole eight imperial-era gems worth approximately $102 million. Beccuau told France 24 that detectives “had him in our sights” and that interviews might help them figure out the strategy and the escape route.
The prosecutor added that two males who were arrested over the weekend were charged with stealing by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy after they partially admitted to being involved. They are still being held before their trial.
Beccuau indicated that the five new inmates might have important information, but he claimed it was too soon to say what their roles are.
According to France 24, one suspect, a 34-year-old Algerian national who has lived in France since 2010, was stopped at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he tried to fly to Algeria without a return ticket. The prosecutor said that his DNA was found on a scooter used in the getaway.
A 39-year-old man was arrested at his residence in Aubervilliers. His DNA was found on a display case and everything the burglars left behind. The police had already met both men before. Authorities claim there is no evidence of insider cooperation at the museum, but Beccuau hasn’t ruled out a larger criminal network or mastermind.
The thieves used a truck with a moving lift and cutting tools to reach the first-floor Apollo Gallery and escaped in minutes with jewels that are irreplaceable, including an emerald-and-diamond necklace linked to Empress Marie-Louise and a diamond diadem that once belonged to Empress Eugénie.
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