Two Arrested After Daring $100 Million Jewellery Heist at Paris’ Louvre Museum

French authorities have arrested two men suspected of involvement in the audacious theft of royal jewels worth nearly $100 million from the Louvre Museum, one of the most brazen art crimes in France’s history.

The arrests came late Saturday, a week after the October 19 robbery that stunned the art world. Police detained one suspect at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he tried to flee to Algeria, while the second was captured in Seine-Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. Both men, in their 30s, were already known to law enforcement for previous sophisticated thefts.

The heist took place inside the museum’s renowned Galerie d’Apollon, home to France’s crown jewels and royal treasures. Investigators said the thieves, posing as maintenance workers, used a furniture lift to access a side balcony before breaking a window to enter the gallery. Within minutes, they smashed open two reinforced display cases and escaped on motor scooters with eight priceless items, including diamond-encrusted diadems and 19th-century necklaces once owned by French royalty.

Officials estimate the stolen jewels’ total worth at about €88 million. The swift and calculated nature of the robbery, carried out under heavy security, has raised questions about the Louvre’s surveillance system and internal safeguards.

Forensic teams recovered more than 150 pieces of evidence, including fingerprints, discarded helmets, and tools used to cut the display glass. These clues reportedly helped investigators trace the suspects. However, most of the stolen artefacts remain missing, raising fears that they may have been dismantled or smuggled out of France.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin praised the rapid police response but acknowledged that the theft exposed significant lapses in museum security. The Louvre has since launched a review of its protection protocols and transferred remaining high-value jewels to the Bank of France for safekeeping.

The arrests mark a major breakthrough, but police believe at least two additional suspects are still at large. The investigation continues as France’s art and law enforcement communities race to recover the stolen royal treasures and prevent them from disappearing into the black market.