France to charge Louvre heist suspects with theft and conspiracy

A week after the spectacular theft of eight French crown jewels in a matter of minutes from the Louvre Museum, the Paris prosecutors' office is expecting to charge two men with theft and criminal conspiracy. Photo / Alain Jocard, AFP

Two men arrested over the jewel heist at France’s Louvre museum earlier this month will be charged with theft and criminal conspiracy, the Paris prosecutor says.

Dozens of detectives have been on the trail of four thieves who used a cherry-picker truck and cutting gear to break into a first-floor gallery at the museum, then fled with jewellery estimated to be worth more than NZ$177 million.

The suspects were to be brought before magistrates with a view to “charging them with organised theft, which carries a 15-year prison sentence”, and criminal conspiracy, punishable by 10 years, prosecutor Laure Beccuau told a press conference, adding that the men had “partially admitted to the charges”.

The jewels stolen on the morning of October 19 had “not yet been recovered”, Beccuau said.

“I want to maintain hope that they will be recovered.”

The two men, arrested in the Paris region, are suspected of entering the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery to seize the jewels, while their accomplices remained outside, according to the prosecutor.

One is 34 years old, of Algerian nationality, living in France. He was identified thanks to DNA traces found on one of the scooters used to flee after the heist.

The second suspect is 39. He was born and lived in the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers. He is an unlicensed taxi driver.

Both were known to the police for having committed thefts.

One was arrested as he was about to board a plane for Algeria at the capital’s Charles de Gaulle airport, with no return ticket.

The second was caught shortly afterwards near his home, and “there is no evidence to suggest that he was planning to go abroad”, the prosecutor said.

Halloween trend

Last week, Beccuau told local media that detectives were investigating “150 DNA samples, fingerprints and other traces”.

She said public and private security cameras had allowed detectives to track the thieves, some of whom wore balaclavas and high-visibility vests during the daytime heist, “in Paris and in surrounding regions”.

While investigators were certain of the involvement of four perpetrators, they had not ruled out the possibility of “a broader level involving a backer or individuals who may have been intended recipients”.

The thieves dropped a crown studded with diamonds and emeralds that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, as they escaped.

Recovered by investigators, it would be “delicate” to restore, Beccuau said.

The burglars made off with eight other items of jewellery.

Among them are an emerald and diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, set with nearly 2000 diamonds.

The brazen theft made headlines around the world and has inspired a new trend in Halloween costumes involving black balaclavas, tiaras and bright yellow vests.

It has also sparked a debate in France about the security of cultural institutions.

Less than 24 hours after the break-in, a museum in eastern France reported the theft of gold and silver coins after finding a smashed display case.

The Louvre’s director, Laurence des Cars, admitted last week that security cameras did not adequately cover the thieves’ point of entry.

But she defended a multimillion-dollar plan to increase security at the museum.

- Agence France-Presse