One week after the spectacular theft of eight French crown jewels from the Louvre Museum, two of the four perpetrators were arrested Saturday evening. One at Roissy airport en route to Algeria, the other in Seine-Saint-Denis, possibly heading to Mali. The jewels, valued at 88 million euros, remain unrecovered despite an investigation involving over 100 investigators.
The burglary occurred on Sunday, October 19, 2025, in the Louvre's Galerie d'Apollon, where four individuals stole eight crown jewels in seven to eight minutes. The stolen items include jewels of inestimable patrimonial value, estimated at 88 million euros. During their escape, the perpetrators abandoned the Empress Eugénie's crown, dating from 1855 and set with 1354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, damaged but recoverable. Other items left behind include two angle grinders, a blowtorch, gasoline, gloves, a walkie-talkie, a yellow vest, and a blanket.
The investigation, led by the Brigade de Répression du Banditisme (BRB) with over 100 investigators, relies on surveillance videos, phone analyses, and more than 150 DNA and papillary trace samples. The two suspects arrested Saturday around 22:00 are thirties from Seine-Saint-Denis, known to police for thefts. They were placed in custody for organized gang theft and criminal association of malfaiteurs, for up to 96 hours. One was apprehended at Roissy airport preparing to board a flight to Algeria; the second, in Seine-Saint-Denis, reportedly aimed for Mali according to police sources.
The other two perpetrators remain at large, and no jewels have been recovered. Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau deplored the 'premature disclosure' of the arrests, harming the probe. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez congratulated the investigators and voiced concern for the jewels, stating: 'The thieves will always be found eventually. It seems like major banditry.' He opposed installing a police station inside the Louvre, arguing the area is already the most policed in Paris and officers arrived in three minutes after the alert.
In response to the theft, some non-stolen jewels were transferred Friday to the Bank of France's vault, 26 meters underground. Debate on the museum's security intensifies, with the Cour des Comptes highlighting delays in deploying protective equipment. Louvre President Laurence des Cars faces criticism and will be heard in the Senate.