French authorities have arrested multiple suspects in connection with the $100 million jewel heist at the Louvre Museum, Paris prosecutors confirmed Sunday — exactly one week after a group of thieves executed what investigators are calling one of the most daring robberies in modern French history.
Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the arrests were made Saturday evening, but declined to specify the number of suspects or release their names. One individual was reportedly detained at Roissy–Charles de Gaulle Airport while attempting to flee the country.
The highly coordinated robbery, which unfolded early last Sunday, lasted just seven minutes.
According to investigators, the thieves used a mechanised furniture elevator mounted on a truck to smash through an upper-floor window of the Louvre and enter the Apollo Gallery — home to France’s royal crown jewels and several other priceless 19th-century artifacts.
The gang then escaped on motorbikes, vanishing before police arrived. Security footage showed the suspects wearing balaclavas and reflective vests, blending briefly with maintenance crews before launching the attack.
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin condemned the incident as a “deplorable image of France,” acknowledging serious lapses in the museum’s security systems.
“This theft represents a failure that cannot be tolerated,” Darmanin said, adding that a comprehensive review of security measures at national museums is now underway.
The Louvre’s director, Laurence des Cars, has already admitted that several blind spots in the museum’s CCTV network left parts of the building vulnerable — including the window the thieves used to gain entry.
Authorities are now focused on tracing the stolen jewels — among them a pair of emerald earrings and a diamond-encrusted brooch once belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.
Interpol has joined the investigation amid fears the gems could be quickly dismantled and trafficked abroad. French police are working with European and Middle Eastern counterparts to track possible smuggling routes used by organized art-theft networks.
As of Sunday, none of the stolen items have been recovered, but officials expressed optimism that the arrests mark a major breakthrough in the case.
“The pieces are of immense cultural and historical value,” Beccuau said. “Our goal is not only to identify those responsible — but to bring France’s heritage home.”
