Key Arrest in High-Profile Art Theft Case
A fourth suspect believed to be part of the commando team that stole Crown Jewels worth €88 million from the Louvre has been formally charged. The 38-year-old man, originally from Seine-Saint-Denis, was arrested last Tuesday at a construction site in Laval, Mayenne, and presented before investigating magistrates on Friday.
Transport Role in Daring Heist
According to police sources from Paris’s Banditry Repression Brigade (BRB), the suspect is alleged to have been responsible for transporting the historic haul – eight parures and earrings belonging to former queens and empresses of France. The robbery occurred on October 19th, when thieves targeted the Apollo Gallery in one of the most audacious museum thefts in recent history.
Investigation Progresses
The suspect’s police custody was lifted on Thursday evening, along with three other individuals from his circle who were also detained. Those three have been released without charge. This latest arrest comes after investigators from the BRB and the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property (OCBC) had already apprehended three other suspected members of the four-person robbery team.
Previous Arrests and Suspect Profiles
Among those already in custody are three men aged 35, 37, and 39, suspected of comprising the robbery team. According to investigation details, two members entered the Apollo Gallery while two others remained outside as lookouts before all four fled together. A fourth person, a 38-year-old woman who is the partner of one suspect, was released under judicial supervision while being investigated for complicity.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau had previously noted that the suspects’ profiles “do not correspond to those generally associated with the high end of organized crime spectrum.” Two suspects from Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis) included one unemployed individual with previous work as a delivery driver and garbage collector, and another who worked as an unlicensed taxi driver with a history of aggravated theft. The male suspect from the couple has a criminal record containing eleven convictions, approximately ten of which are for theft.
Ongoing Search
One month after the spectacular heist, the priceless jewels remain missing, as do the masterminds believed to have commissioned the robbery. The investigation continues as authorities work to recover the cultural treasures and identify all parties involved in the elaborate theft.
