French police have arrested five new suspects in connection with the daring Louvre museum jewellery robbery, which occurred on October 19, 2025. The Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, confirmed the arrests, stating that one of the suspects is a prime suspect whose DNA linked him to the brazen heist. The stolen jewels, valued at approximately $102 million, have not been recovered.
The arrests were made in coordinated raids in different parts of Paris and its surrounding areas. Two suspects, arrested earlier, have partially admitted their involvement in the heist and were charged with theft and criminal conspiracy. They are suspected of breaking into the Apollo Gallery while two accomplices waited outside.
The investigation is ongoing, with detectives analyzing 150 DNA samples, fingerprints, and other traces. Public and private security cameras helped track the thieves, who used a truck with a moving lift and cutting gear to break into the first-floor gallery. The thieves fled on two motor scooters along the Seine River, dropping a diamond- and emerald-studded crown that once belonged to Empress Eugenie.
The Louvre’s director has acknowledged security lapses and offered to resign, but Culture Minister Rachida Dati rejected the resignation, citing existing security gaps. The prosecutor has not ruled out the possibility of a wider-scale operation involving a backer or intended recipients, but there’s no evidence of complicity within the museum.
