The five were arrested at various locations in Paris on Wednesday evening, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office. Of the five, one is designated as the main suspect.
"We had our sights set on him," says prosecutor Laure Beccuau.
DNA evidence has linked the main suspect to the theft, according to Beccuau, suggesting the man was one of the four people who carried out the daring robbery on October 19.
“Can provide information”
As for the other individuals in police custody, they are people who can give us information about how the events unfolded, she said, adding that it was “too early” to provide further details about the suspects.
The prosecutor also announced that the loot from the stolen Louvre jewels – which have a value equivalent to just over 960 million kronor – has not yet been recovered.
The Louvre burglary took place on October 19, when four masked robbers stole a number of irreplaceable jewelry and jewels. The spectacular robbery was carried out using a stepladder and took place in just seven minutes. The perpetrators then fled on mopeds or motorcycles.
The robbers came across, among other things, a necklace with emeralds and diamonds that Napoleon Bonaparte gave to his wife, Empress Marie Louise, and a diadem belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.
Two had been arrested
Two suspects were arrested this weekend, one of whom was at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. The man, a 34-year-old Algerian, was about to board a plane to Algeria. His DNA was found on one of the mopeds used during the escape after the jewel coup.
The other is a 39-year-old black cab driver from the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers whose DNA was found, among other things, on a glass case.
According to the prosecutor, they have both made certain concessions.
