Two Arrested in $100M Louvre Jewel Heist

Two men who allegedly stole $100 million worth of France’s crown jewels during a daring daytime heist at the Louvre Museum were arrested on Saturday night — as one suspect was captured trying to flee the country.

Two others are still believed to be on the lam.

One of the suspects, who has not been identified, was busted as he was boarding a flight bound for Algeria at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris newspaper Le Parisien reported.

The men, both in their 30s and from Seine-Saint-Denis, a rough suburb north of Paris, were detained by police as part of the investigation of “organized gang robbery” and “conspiracy to commit a crime.”

Police were tipped off on Saturday about one of the suspects likely to be flying out of the country and heading to Algeria in North Africa and arrested him at Paris Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport as he prepared to board a plane, French outlet BFMTV reported.

The second suspect was arrested shortly afterward in Paris.

Cops have not yet recovered the stolen jewelry.

The alleged thieves are known by police for past robberies and are believed to have conducted the high-profile heist on commission, Le Parisien reported.

Last week, the four-man crew dressed in yellow vests and motorcycle helmets as they broke into the famed French museum.

Using a cherry picker, the thieves scaled the museum’s Apollo Gallery and broke into the glass displays using chain saws as horrified guests looked on.

The speedy heist was completed in less than four minutes as the thieves slipped in and out, making off with eight pieces from France’s Crown Jewels, worth approximately $100 million.

Looted jewelry included a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a set linked to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense.

The hasty robbers descended back down using the same cherry picker before attempting to burn the bucket truck in the process of their escape, as they fled on two scooters parked nearby.

Eight pieces from the collection were stolen in the heist, including a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a set linked to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense.

Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch — an imperial ensemble of rare craftsmanship — were stolen from the famed museum.

Eugénie’s emerald-set imperial crown, with more than 1,300 diamonds — was later found outside the museum, damaged but recoverable.

Police have not publicly identified the other two suspects or the mastermind behind the action movie-like heist.

Officials collected nearly 150 traces of DNA, fingerprints and hair samples found at the scene to different sites across Paris to connect the individuals to the robbery.

The hair, believed to belong to the first thief that entered the museum, was found in a motorcycle helmet discarded near the scene and a vests, the outlet said.

The two men are detained at police headquarters, where they can be held in custody for up to 96 hours without any charges being filed.

Since the made-for-Hollywood heist, security has increased around France’s vast cultural institutions.

Museum officials have since moved the French Crown Jewels to an ultra-secure Bank of France vault.

A preliminary report by France’s Court of Auditors, set to publish in November, found the world’s most visited museum had inadequate video surveillance systems in all three sections of the famed art exhibit, according to Spanish outlet El Pais.

The document discovered security spending was much lower in 2024 than it was two decades earlier.

France’s Minister of the Interior celebrated the arrests Sunday morning, holding officials to keep the “determination” throughout the investigation.

“I extend my warmest congratulations to the investigators who have worked tirelessly as I requested and who have always had my full confidence,” Laurent Nuñez wrote on X.

“The investigations must continue while respecting the confidentiality of the inquiry under the authority of the specialized interregional jurisdiction of @parquetdeParis. It will be with the same determination !! We keep going!!”

However, the Paris prosecutor hit out at the media for leaking information about the arrest.

“This revelation can only hinder the investigative efforts of the 100 or so mobilised investigators, both in the search for the stolen jewellery and for all the perpetrators. It is too early to provide any specific details,” prosecutor Laure Beccuau said.