The recent jewellery heist at the Louvre museum was executed by petty criminals rather than organized crime professionals, according to Paris's prosecutor, Laure Beccuau. In an interview with franceinfo radio, Beccuau explained that this case represents a form of crime not typically associated with high-level criminality.
Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft, which occurred on October 19 and involved the theft of jewels valued at approximately €88 million (around $102 million). Beccuau noted that these individuals were clearly local people living in the impoverished Seine-Saint-Denis district just north of Paris.
Among the suspects charged so far are three men and one woman, with some having previous theft convictions. The prosecutor's comments provide insight into the nature of the crime, highlighting that two men involved in the incident have acknowledged some level of participation.
The heist was executed swiftly; the thieves used a stolen vehicle-mounted lift to access the museum and employed a disc cutter to break into display cases. The total time spent inside the museum was a mere four minutes, after which they fled on scooters before switching to cars. One item, a crown, was dropped during the escape, while seven other pieces of jewellery remain missing, with concerns that they may have been smuggled out of the country.
In response to this shocking incident, the Louvre has heightened its security protocols and has moved its most valuable items to the Bank of France for safekeeping.
As the investigation unfolds, authorities continue their search for the missing jewels, while also analyzing the implications this event may have on museum security and the crime landscape surrounding cultural institutions in France.
