Prosecutors confirmed the arrest of suspects, including one who was detained while trying to board a flight overseas.
Published October 26, 2025
French authorities have made an arrest in connection with the recent theft of jewelry from the Louvre Museum in Paris, Paris prosecutors announced.
Prosecutor Laure Becuau said in a statement on Sunday that investigators made the arrests on Saturday night, adding that one of the detained men was preparing to depart from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.
The statement did not say whether the stolen jewelry was recovered.
French newspaper Le Parisien and magazine Paris Match reported that the arrest at the airport took place around 10pm (20:00 GMT) on Saturday, and that a second suspect was arrested in the Paris area shortly thereafter.
The newspaper said the man arrested at the airport was about to board a flight to Algeria. The newspaper said both suspects are in their 30s and from the Seine-Saint-Denis region, and are known to French police.
French media, including newspaper Le Figaro, reported, citing police sources, that the second person arrested was planning to flee to Mali.
According to AFP news agency, the two were detained by police on suspicion of organized theft and conspiracy.
Mr Bequo did not confirm the number of arrests in the operation, carried out by the police’s anti-gang brigade.
She condemned the premature leaking of information about the arrests, saying it could hinder the work of investigators trying to “recover the stolen jewelry and arrest all the culprits.”
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunes praised the efforts of police in a post on X.
“I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the investigators who have worked tirelessly to do as I have asked of them and who have always had my full confidence in me,” he said. “The investigation must continue while respecting confidentiality.”
“Let’s go on,” he added.
daytime robbery
The Louvre Museum in the French capital was closed a week ago after a group of intruders stole eight valuable pieces of jewelry in a four-minute heist in broad daylight on October 19. The robbery shocked the world’s most-visited art museum and sparked a worldwide frenzy.
The robbers climbed a telescoping ladder on a moving truck and entered the first-floor exhibition room, taking advantage of what museum officials said was a blind spot in the security surveillance on the museum’s exterior wall.
They dropped the crown as they climbed down a ladder and fled on a scooter, but managed to steal eight other items, including an emerald and diamond necklace given by Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife, Empress Marie Louise.
Officials said the gems, which are worth an estimated $102 million, have immense cultural value.
An intensive search for the thieves continues, involving dozens of investigators.
Mr Baquo said public and private security cameras enabled detectives to track the thieves in “Paris and surrounding areas”, and investigators also found dozens of DNA samples and fingerprints at the scene.
The brazen theft, which the Louvre’s director called a “terrible failure”, made headlines around the world and sparked a debate in France about the safety of cultural institutions.
Within 24 hours of the Louvre robbery, a museum in eastern France discovered vandalized display cases and reported the theft of gold and silver coins.
Last month, thieves broke into the Paris Museum of Natural History and stole more than $1.5 million worth of gold bullion. A Chinese woman was arrested and charged with theft.
