Police have arrested five more suspects linked to the theft of treasures worth €88 million from the Louvre museum's Apollo gallery, the Paris prosecutor has said, expressing hope the latest developments will help them find the missing jewels.
The five were arrested late Wednesday night in separate police operations in Paris and surrounding areas, including the Seine-Saint-Denis region, Prosecutor Laure Beccuau told RTL radio on Thursday.
One is suspected of being part of the four-person team that robbed the Louvre's Apollo Gallery in broad daylight on 19 October, the prosecutor said. He was identified through DNA traces left at the crime scene.
She gave no further details about what role the other four newly arrested people may have played in the theft, but said they "may eventually inform us about how the incident took place".
The new arrests come after two men "partially recognised" their involvement in the theft on Wednesday following their arrest last Sunday. They face preliminary charges of criminal conspiracy and theft committed by an organised gang.
Both had criminal records. One was arrested while trying to board a one-way flight to Algeria, but contrary to earlier media reports, the other man had not been planning to leave France, Beccuau told reporters.
Video surveillance cameras showed there were at least four people involved in the heist, Beccuau said. The fourth suspect has not yet been caught.
DNA leads and video trail drive search for stolen Louvre crown jewels
Possible wider network
Jewels worth €88m were taken from the Louvre on 19 October. Four suspects arrived onboard a truck equipped with a freight lift that two of them used to climb up to the museum’s window.
All four left onboard two motor scooters along the Seine River toward eastern Paris, where they had some other vehicles parked, she said.
Beccuau has said she did not rule out the possible involvement of a wider network, including a person who could have ordered the theft and been the mastermind behind it.
However, she said there was no evidence at this stage to suggest the theft was an inside job, confirming the robbers had no accomplices within the museum’s staff.
She made a plea to those who have the jewels: “These jewels are now, of course, unsaleable … Anyone who buys them would be guilty of concealment of stolen goods. There’s still time to give them back.”
The heist exposed security lapses at the world's most-visited museum and has been seen by many as a cause for national humiliation.
The Louvre's director Laurence des Cars has admitted it was a "terrible failure" and took responsibility for the security weaknesses.
(with newswires)
