Louvre Jewel Heist Manhunt Widens: Five More Arrested, Seven in Custody, and 88 Million Euros in Jewels Still Missing
PARIS — The manhunt in the Louvre crown-jewels heist widened this week. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced on October 30 that police had arrested five more suspects late on October 29 in Paris and the Seine-Saint-Denis department, one of whom was identified by DNA as a member of the four-man gang that carried out the robbery. The arrests bring the total number of people in custody to seven.
The first two suspects were formally charged on Wednesday with organized-gang theft and criminal conspiracy, and both have "partially admitted" the allegations, Beccuau said. One is a 34-year-old Algerian national stopped at Charles de Gaulle Airport with a one-way ticket to Algeria; the other is a 39-year-old unlicensed taxi driver from Aubervilliers, north of Paris.
The heist took place on October 19, when four thieves broke into the Louvre's Apollo Gallery in broad daylight and escaped within minutes with French crown jewels valued at about 88 million euros ($102 million). The jewels have still not been recovered. Around 100 investigators are working the case, with roughly 150 forensic samples and 189 items of evidence secured.
The Louvre is the world's most visited museum and offers Chinese-language visitor services; the case is being closely followed by France's Chinese community. Prosecutors say tracing the stolen jewels and identifying remaining accomplices are now the investigation's priorities.
Source: GSM News (USA)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：夜色中的卢浮宫拿破仑庭院（资料图）。Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.5。 / The Louvre's Cour Napoleon at night (file photo). Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5.
