Preliminary Charges Handed Down to More Suspects in Louvre Heist
Two more suspects have been hit with preliminary charges for their alleged involvement in the October Louvre heist Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a Saturday press release
Why It Matters
Around 930 am on October 19 a group of intruders took less than eight minutes to make off with eight pieces of the French crown jewels valued at roughly 102 million They went through a window sliced through display cases with power tools took the jewels and sped away on scooters along the Seine River
Police have been working to track down suspects in connection with the heist In total the police have arrested seven people related to the event three of who have been released without charges Saturdays charges bring the total charged in the robbery to four
The heist has highlighted security concerns surrounding museums and locations that host highvalue items around the world especially as the Louvre is the worlds largest museum and one of the most visited
What To Know
The suspects were arrested on Wednesday a weekandahalf after the heist Beccuau said in the press release that they were brought before judges on Saturday
Following their separate court appearances a 37yearold man was charged with theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy and was known to authorities due to previous thefts The other suspect a 38yearold woman was charged with complicity in organized theft and criminal conspiracy AFP reported she had children and was in tears in court
The statement also noted that the other three people who were arrested on Wednesday have been released
The two suspects arrested on Wednesday whose names were not disclosed remain in pretrial detention Both of them have denied any involvement in the Louvre robbery
Authorities previously said one of the earlier charged suspects was a 34yearold Algerian national living in France since 2010 He was stopped by police while trying to board a flight to Algeria The second suspect a 39yearold man also from Aubervilliers was already known to police for thefts
Beccuau said earlier this week that both men who were first arrested have been charged with theft and criminal conspiracy after partially admitting to the charges
Surveillance footage shows at least four people were involved Investigators believe the group arrived in a truck equipped with a freight lift which two men used to reach the museums window before fleeing on scooters to eastern Paris where other vehicles were waiting
None of the stolen jewelry or individual parts of it have been located
Soldiers patrol in the courtyard of the Louvre museum on October 30 in Paris AP PhotoEmma Da Silva
What People Are Saying
Adrien Sorrentino a lawyer for the woman suspect in custody said per The Guardian This is a spectacular heist and the decision that has just been made is a spectacular one a young woman has just been placed in detention despite being presumed innocent
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a post to X The theft committed at the Louvre is an attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our History We will recover the works and the perpetrators will be brought to justice Everything is being done everywhere to achieve this under the leadership of the Paris prosecutors office The Louvre New Renaissance project which we launched in January provides for strengthened security It will be the guarantor of the preservation and protection of what constitutes our memory and our culture
French Senator Laurent Lafon head of the Culture Committee at the Senate said earlier this week after a Louvre visit We all noticed that the security equipment is not suitable for a 21stcentury museum such as the Louvre It is our flagship it must be exemplary and today we cannot describe the security conditions at the Louvre as exemplary
What Happens Next
The investigation and proceedings remain ongoing as does the search for the missing jewelry
Mandy Taheri