The two men, who are said to be in their 30s and from the Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, are suspected, according to Le Parisien, to have been part of the group of four people who broke into the world-famous museum and stole jewelry worth the equivalent of just over 960 million kronor.
The newspaper Le Figaro reports that one of the men was arrested in Roissy north of Paris on Saturday evening, as he was about to board a plane to Algeria. The other man was arrested at the same time in Seine-Saint-Denis. According to the newspaper's sources, he was planning to flee to Mali.
Prosecutor confirms
Prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirms that suspects have been arrested, but does not want to disclose how many. In a statement, she criticizes the fact that information about the arrest has been leaked to the media, which she says can hinder the work of the over 100 investigators who have "mobilized to find the stolen jewelry and arrest all perpetrators".
It was on Sunday that the four thieves struck shortly after the museum had opened.
In the middle of the day, they made their way with the help of a cherry picker to the balcony on the first floor, outside the art gallery where the jewelry is displayed.
They had with them angle grinders, which were used both to gain access to the gallery through the window and to threaten the guards who were on site.
Napoleon's gifts gone
After just seven minutes, they disappeared again with, 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, the wife of Napoleon III.
The crown jewels have not been found yet. Other valuable jewelry has, due to the robbery, been moved from the Louvre to vaults in the central bank, according to French media.
The brazen theft has become a world news story, and significant resources have been invested in finding the perpetrators. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez congratulates the investigators on the arrest in a statement on X.
