A dramatic turn in France’s most audacious art heist in decades unfolded this week, as French police arrested two suspects in connection with the $102 million Louvre robbery, one of whom was caught trying to board a flight to Algeria at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
According to French authorities, the arrests came after an anonymous tip-off late last night alerting investigators that one of the suspected thieves was planning to flee to North Africa. Officers from the Brigade de Répression du Banditisme (BRB) acted immediately, racing to the airport where they detained the man at the boarding gate — with nothing but a carry-on bag and a plane ticket to Algiers.
No stolen jewels were found on him.
A second suspect was apprehended just hours later in central Paris, reportedly preparing to travel to Mali. Both men, in their early 30s and residents of Seine-Saint-Denis, have prior convictions for armed robbery and theft, according to judicial sources.
Authorities say DNA evidence collected from more than 150 samples at the Louvre scene provided the forensic link that tied them to the case, but the last-minute airport arrest likely prevented their escape and potential disappearance across borders.
The pair are now being held at Paris police headquarters, where they face 96 hours of interrogation for “aggravated theft by an organized gang.”
However, the stolen crown jewels — including Empress Eugénie’s diamond brooch and royal tiaras — remain missing. Police believe the suspects were low-level operatives, working for an international fencing network that specializes in moving stolen luxury goods through North Africa and the Middle East.
Investigators are now focused on locating at least two additional accomplices believed to have fled France shortly after the heist. The BRB has enlisted help from Interpol and foreign law enforcement agencies in tracking them.
Sources close to the case say the operation was “highly coordinated but poorly executed,” with the culprits leaving behind substantial forensic traces — a rookie mistake for what was supposed to be a flawless, Ocean’s 11-style heist.
As one investigator told Le Monde:
“They left DNA everywhere and booked one-way flights to countries with extradition treaties. That’s not criminal genius — that’s desperation.”
While the Louvre remains closed to the public during the ongoing investigation, France’s Ministry of Culture has confirmed that the stolen jewels, which are state-owned national treasures, were not insured — meaning the loss falls entirely on the French government.
The recovery operation continues, but for now, the world’s most famous museum has learned a costly lesson: even centuries of prestige can’t protect against a sloppy getaway.
