Louvre jewel heist carried out by petty criminals, Paris prosecutor says

The jewel heist at the Louvre museum last month was carried out by petty criminals, not organized crime professionals, the Paris prosecutor said.

“It’s not everyday crime… but it’s a type of crime that we don’t normally associate with the higher echelons of organized crime,” Laure Bequo told franceinfo radio.

She said four people arrested and charged so far in the theft that shocked France and the world were “obviously local people” living in the Seine-Saint-Denis, a poor area north of Paris.

Jewelery worth €88m (£76m; $102m) was taken from the French capital’s most visited museum on 19 October.

In an interview with franceinfo radio on Sunday, Becquau said the four arrested – three men and a woman – “all live more or less in the Seine-Saint-Denis”.

She said two of the male suspects were known to police because they each had multiple convictions for theft.

On Saturday, a 38-year-old woman was charged with complicity in organized theft and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime.

Separately, a 37-year-old man has been charged with theft and criminal conspiracy.

Both suspects, who have not been named publicly, have denied involvement.

Bequo said the two are in a relationship and have children together, without giving further details.

Two men who were previously arrested have now been charged with theft and criminal conspiracy after officials said they “partially admitted” their involvement in the robbery.

Investigators believe four men carried out the daytime burglary, with one still at large.

Three other people detained earlier this week have been released without charge.

On the day of the robbery, the suspects arrived at 09:30 local time (0730 GMT), just after the museum opened to visitors, Ms Beccuau told reporters last week.

The suspects arrived in a stolen mechanical lift mounted on a vehicle to gain access to the Galerie d’Apollon (Gallery of Apollo) through a balcony near the Seine River. The men used a circular saw to break open the display cases that housed the jewelry.

Prosecutors said the thieves were inside for four minutes and fled on two scooters waiting outside at 09:38 before moving on to cars.

During the escape, one of the stolen items – a crown – was dropped. The remaining seven jewels have not been found.

It is feared they have already been flown abroad, although the prosecutor in charge of the case said he still hoped they could be brought out intact.

Following the incident, security measures around French cultural institutions have been stepped up.

The Louvre has transferred some of its most valuable jewels to the Bank of France since the heist.