One month after the spectacular burglary at the Louvre museum, the fourth presumed commando member was arrested on Tuesday, November 25, along with three other suspects. Meanwhile, a 2018 security audit already identified the used balcony as a major vulnerability point. The stolen jewels, valued at an estimated 88 million euros, remain unrecovered.
On October 19, 2025, around 9:30 AM, four hooded men in high-visibility vests used a nacelle vehicle stolen on October 10 to access the balcony of the Louvre's Galerie d'Apollon on quai François-Mitterrand. In seven to eight minutes, they fractured display cases with a disc cutter and stole eight 19th-century jewels, national treasures including Empress Eugénie's diadem adorned with nearly 2000 diamonds. They fled on two scooters toward the A6 highway, dropping Eugénie's damaged crown. The museum closed on October 19 and 20, with visitors confined then evacuated. Interpol added the jewels to its stolen art database.
A 2018 security audit commissioned by former director Jean-Luc Martinez from Van Cleef & Arpels' security department already described this balcony as «l’un des plus grands points de vulnérabilité de l’établissement». Supported by an infographic circling it and noting easy access, the document mentioned the possibility of a nacelle by «cambrioleurs aguerris» and highlighted that nearby cameras did not fully cover it. The current Louvre management under Laurence des Cars, who arrived in 2021, only learned of it after the theft; the documents were not transferred during the 2021 handover. The report was sent to the general inspectorate of cultural affairs.
The investigation by the brigade de répression du banditisme (BRB) led to several arrests. On October 25, Abdoulaye N., 39, from Aubervilliers (nicknamed «Doudou Cross Bitume», illegal taxi driver, convicted of aggravated thefts in 2008 and 2014), and Ayed G., 35, Algerian from Aubervilliers (delivery worker, record for road offenses and theft), were apprehended; their DNA was found on site. Abdoulaye N. admitted the acts «sur commande d’individus non identifiés». On October 29, Slimane K., 37, from Seine-Saint-Denis (11 convictions for road delinquency, violence, and aggravated thefts, involved with Abdoulaye N. in 2015), was arrested, his DNA on the nacelle.
On November 25, the fourth presumed commando member, from Aubervilliers and arrested in Laval (Mayenne) on a work trip, was placed in garde à vue for «vol en bande organisée» and «association de malfaiteurs», along with three other suspects: a 39-year-old man and two women aged 31 and 40, all from the Paris region. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau notes profiles of «délinquance polymorphe» from nearby Seine-Saint-Denis, quickly escalating to organized crime. Laurence des Cars acknowledged «défaillances» on October 22 and announced emergency measures, including 100 additional cameras by end-2026 and a mobile police post. A Cour des comptes report on November 6 criticizes Louvre management, estimating the renovation project at 1.15 billion euros. The jewels, unsellable, remain unrecovered.
