Five more arrested in France over Louvre jewellery heist, says prosecutor

The Paris prosecutor confirmed that five additional suspects have been detained by Paris police in connection with the Louvre crown jewel heist, just one day after two additional suspects have “partially” admitted to theft and conspiracy, according to the prosecutor.

According to Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, the AFP news agency reported on Thursday. The group also includes one “main” suspect. According to RTL, which cited judicial sources, the arrests took place simultaneously throughout the Paris area late on Wednesday evening.

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Beccuau referred to the prime suspect as “we had him in our sights.”

Not immediately available were the names of the suspects in addition to the details of the five Thursday arrests.

In a four-minute heist that has spread across the art world on October 19 as visitors toured the galleries of the world’s most-visited museum broke into the Apollo Gallery through an upstairs window and stole eight pieces of priceless jewelry.

The stolen items included 19th-century tiaras, necklaces, earrings, and a brooch worn by French emperors Napoleon I and III’s wives.

Investigators have since searched for the thieves, who were initially thought to be at least four people, to find them.

Two suspects will be detained on Wednesday, according to Beccuau, who will be charged with organized theft, which will result in a 15-year prison sentence, and criminal conspiracy, which will result in a ten-year sentence.

The pair, who were detained on Saturday in the northern Paris suburb of Aubervilliers, had “partially admitted] to the charges,” Beccuau said at a press conference.

The Louvre director claimed last week that the museum’s security staff “did not soon detect the arrival of the thieves.”

The Louvre curator believes the jewels have a value of about 88 million euros ($102 million).