French police have arrested two suspects in connection to last weekend’s massive jewel heist at the Louvre Museum according to local reports.
According to Paris newspaper Le Parisien … Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced Sunday the arrests were made Saturday night by the city’s elite anti gang brigade. Prosecutors said one of the suspects was detained at Roissy Airport while attempting to leave the country.
Prosecutors said more than 100 investigators have been on the case as authorities raced to recover the stolen jewels and identify those involved in the massive heist.
The theft went down last Sunday inside the Apollo Gallery. The suspects used a basket lift to scale the museum’s exterior, forced open a window, smashed through a glass display cases and fled with the crown jewels valued at around roughly $102 million.
The entire operation took less than eight minutes. The Louvre Museum director called the theft a “terrible failure,” and the museum was closed following the robbery.
Prosecutors also criticized early media leaks about the arrests, warning they could interfere with ongoing efforts to track the rest of the Louvre Museum suspects and locate the missing jewels.
George Clooney joked with reporters at the AFI Fest that he was “very proud” of the robbers who pulled off the daring theft at the Louvre, calling it a “terrible” crime but admiring the boldness in jest.
Prosecutors said the investigation is still ongoing.