One of them tried to flee to Algeria.. Two suspects were arrested in the “theft of the century” from the Louvre | Miscellaneous

The French authorities arrested two men suspected of involvement in one of the boldest thefts that the capital, Paris, has witnessed in decades, after a gang managed to break into the Louvre Museum in broad daylight and steal the French Crown Jewels, valued at approximately $100 million, in a bold operation documented by cameras.

Videos spread on social media showed the thieves fleeing through a side ladder fixed to the wall of the famous museum, carrying small boxes believed to contain the precious pieces, before disappearing on motorcycles that were waiting for them outside.

Suspects arrested in Paris

The French police confirmed, yesterday evening, Sunday, that the two detainees come from the Saint-Denis area, north of Paris, and are believed to be part of a group of 4 people who carried out the complex robbery on the morning of October 19.

The authorities explained that the two men were placed in pretrial detention, as part of an open investigation on charges of “organized theft” and “criminal conspiracy to commit a crime,” under the supervision of the Anti-Bandit Squad in Paris and the Central Office to Combat Trafficking in Cultural Property.

For its part, Le Parisien newspaper reported that one of the suspects was arrested at Charles de Gaulle International Airport while trying to board a plane bound for Algeria, after the police received a report of his intention to flee outside the country.

Operation in broad daylight

According to preliminary information, the thieves used a forklift and a pickup truck to reach one of the windows of the upper floor of the museum, overlooking the inner courtyard in the heart of Paris.

At approximately nine-thirty in the morning, the perpetrators parked the vehicle near the wall, and two of them climbed via the crane into the exhibition hall containing the Crown Jewels, then smashed the thick glass window and display boxes using electrical tools, before fleeing with 8 pieces of rare jewelry on board two large motorcycles.

Investigations indicated that the thieves acted quickly and with extreme precision, taking advantage of the period when the museum was open to visitors, which increased the audacity of the operation and made it difficult for security personnel to deal with it in a timely manner.

The value of stolen items is “priceless”

The stolen jewelry collection includes tiaras studded with diamonds and rubies and historical gold necklaces dating back to the French royal era.

Its total value is estimated at more than $100 million, making it one of the most expensive art thefts in modern European history.

The operation, which was described in the French media as the “theft of the century,” caused widespread shock among cultural and political circles, given the status of the Louvre Museum as the most famous and most visited museum in the world.

“Well-known professionals” to the police

Le Parisien also reported that the suspects are known to the French police for their history of similar thefts, and it is believed that they carried out the operation based on a commission from an unknown party that requested specific pieces from the collection.

The newspaper quoted a security source as saying that the operation bore “all the characteristics of organized professional thefts,” explaining that “the thieves used precise tools and planned to infiltrate and withdraw within a few minutes, which indicates long experience in this type of crime.”

The museum administration acknowledged that the attackers exploited a “temporary loophole” in the surveillance system during maintenance work in one of the building’s wings, while security sources told Le Monde newspaper that “the theft was carried out in broad daylight using a crane, something that was not expected even in the worst scenarios.”

One of the investigators added: “What happened is like a scene from a Hollywood movie, but it puts us before the necessity of re-evaluating all protection protocols in major cultural institutions.”

International repercussions about the “theft of the century”

The operation was echoed in the international media, with British and American newspapers describing it as a “painful blow to France’s cultural prestige,” while local newspapers wondered whether the incident would affect the image of Paris before it receives millions of visitors during the upcoming holiday season.

Some commentators believed that the incident represented a symbolic insult to France, a country that is proud of its artistic heritage and ancient museums.

One critic told the local newspaper Le Figaro: “When the Crown Jewels are stolen from the heart of the Louvre, it is not only a matter of stealing precious stones, but of stealing part of the national memory.”

The French authorities are continuing their investigations to identify the rest of the gang members and recover the stolen jewelry, while the police have not announced any information about the fate of the eight pieces yet.

Local teams are still coordinating with Interpol to track any attempt to sell or smuggle the pieces abroad, amid fears that they have already been transferred outside French territory.