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Four Additional Arrests Made in Louvre Jewellery Heist Investigation

The Paris prosecutor's office reported four new arrests in connection with the high-profile theft of jewellery worth €88 million from the Louvre Museum last month, with investigations ongoing to retrieve the stolen items.

Source: bbc.co.uk1 min read
Four Additional Arrests Made in Louvre Jewellery Heist Investigation
Image via bbc.co.uk

In brief

Four more individuals have been detained as part of the probe into the Louvre's October jewellery heist, which involved the theft of items valued at €88 million. Police have apprehended both men and women linked to the crime, while previous suspects face charges of theft and conspiracy. No leads have yet yielded the recovery of the stolen jewels, prompting tightened security at the museum.

Four more people have been arrested as part of the investigation into last month's theft of precious jewellery at the Louvre Museum, the Paris prosecutor's office says.

Two men, aged 38 and 39, and two women, aged 31 and 40, were arrested on Tuesday. They are all from the Paris region.

Among them is thought to be the last member of a four-man gang that allegedly carried out the daylight heist, according to French media. The other three suspected thieves have already been arrested and charged, officials say.

Police now have up to 96 hours to question them. No trace has so far been found of the stolen jewels - worth €88m (£76m; $102m) - which were taken on 19 October.

Four people have already charged over the heist - three men and a woman, who also live in the Paris region. A 38-year-old woman was charged earlier this month with complicity in organised theft and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime.

Separately, a man, aged 37, was charged with theft and criminal conspiracy. These two suspects, who have not been named publicly, have denied any involvement.

The heist happened when the group of four men used a stolen vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to gain access to the Galerie d'Apollon via a balcony close to the River Seine. The men used a disc cutter to crack open display cases housing the jewellery and managed to escape in four minutes with eight valuable pieces. Despite dropping one item, they still made off with jewels including an emerald-and-diamond necklace previously owned by Napoleon I.

Louvre officials have since acknowledged lapses in security. Following this incident, security measures have been heightened around France's cultural institutions.

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