French police have gathered more than 150 DNA samples and fingerprints in the hunt for the thieves behind a daring daylight raid on the Louvre that saw eight royal jewels worth €88 million stolen.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said on Thursday that forensic teams have carried out the samples and other traces at the site of Sunday’s heist.
“The analyses take time, even though they are a priority for the laboratories,” Beccuau told Ouest France, adding the results in the coming days could point to suspects if they are already on file.
The thieves struck with precision. They arrived in a stolen furniture removal truck, raised a ladder to a first-floor window and cut into a gallery displaying France’s crown jewels.
They fled down the ladder and sped off on scooters. One diamond and emerald crown was dropped, but they still got away with eight pieces.
Among the stolen treasures were an emerald and diamond necklace once gifted by Napoleon Bonaparte to Empress Marie-Louise and a tiara belonging to Empress Eugénie, set with nearly 2,000 diamonds.
Louvre chief Des Cars admits 'terrible failure' at museum during jewel heist
Security failings
On Wednesday the Louvre’s director Laurence des Cars admitted that the robbers had exploited a blind spot in the museum’s exterior security system.
But police have plenty of footage. Beccuau said officers have tracked the thieves’ route across Paris and nearby areas using public and private cameras.
The prosecutor said the aim is to arrest the thieves fast to recover the jewels before the stones are removed and the metals melted down.
“This organised theft has had such resonance that there’s a small hope the robbers won’t dare move with the jewels,” Beccuau said, adding that the intense media attention could slow them down.
Security questions raised after Louvre heist of 'unsaleable' royal jewels
Concerns over jewels
The Drouot auction house director warned earlier that the pieces are "completely unsellable" in their current form. Experts fear they could be broken apart to sell on the black market.
The heist has reignited debate over the security of museums and cultural sites.
Less than 24 hours after the Louvre break-in, staff at the Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot museum in the eastern town of Langres found a display case smashed and part of its treasure missing.
The stolen items included gold and silver coins unearthed during renovation work in 2011.
Police say they are not ruling out any link, including a copycat attempt.
(with newswires)
