Paris [France], October 27: Two suspects have been arrested a week after the brazen theft of jewellery from the Louvre Museum in Paris, prosecutors confirmed on Sunday.
One of the suspects was detained at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport, while the second suspect was arrested in the Paris region, Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau told DPA. The arrests were made on Saturday evening. Both have been remanded in custody on charges of gang-related theft, prosecutors said. Two other alleged accomplices are still on the run.
According to broadcaster BFMTV, the two men are about 30 years old and already known to police. France Info reported that DNA traces found at the crime scene led investigators directly to the suspects.
Paris Match magazine reported that one of the men, arrested at the airport, had apparently planned to fly to Algeria. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau criticized the premature release of information by third parties, saying it had hindered the investigation.
The Louvre was evacuated and shut down a week ago after four masked thieves broke into the Apollo Gallery, home to France's remaining crown jewels.
They broke into two display cases and made off with eight pieces of jewellery once owned by French queens and empresses, with an estimated value of 88 million euros ($102 million). There has been no word from officials since the arrests about the whereabouts of the jewels. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune
