Louvre Cracked Wide Open: Five More Suspects Arrested in $102 Million Jewel Heist

French authorities have announced a significant expansion of the investigation into the multi-million dollar jewel heist at the Louvre Museum, confirming the arrest of five new suspects, according to reporting by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The latest detentions follow the highly publicized arrests of two initial suspects earlier this week, signaling a rapid acceleration in the manhunt for the perpetrators of the brazen daylight robbery.

Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed the arrests on Thursday, noting that the group includes a "main suspect" sought by investigators. However, Beccuau added a sobering note, stating that none of the stolen loot, estimated to be worth approximately $102 million (€88 million), has yet been recovered.

"We had him in our sights," Beccuau said of the primary suspect, emphasizing the focused effort by the specialized police units handling the case.

Hunt for Missing Royal Jewels

The arrests come just over a week after the audacious theft, which occurred on October 19. A gang of thieves used a stolen mechanical lift to scale the museum’s exterior, smash a window, and break into the Galerie d'Apollon, the hall housing the French Crown Jewels, in an operation that lasted less than eight minutes.

The stolen pieces include eight historically significant items, such as the sapphire diadem and necklace of Queen Marie-Amélie, and an emerald necklace gifted by Napoleon Bonaparte to Empress Marie-Louise.

While the most valuable item, the crown of Empress Eugénie, was recovered, albeit damaged, outside the museum, police have been racing against time to find the remaining treasures before the thieves can dismantle the pieces and sell or melt down the rare stones.

Expanding the Scope of the Conspiracy

The detention of the five new individuals, which follows the initial arrests of two men, one of whom was apprehended at Charles de Gaulle Airport attempting to board a flight to Algeria, suggests the heist was executed by a larger, highly coordinated organized crime group.

The two previously arrested suspects had "partially admitted" their involvement, according to the prosecutor’s office, and were identified through DNA traces and other forensic evidence left at the crime scene.

The spectacular security failure at the world's most-visited museum has prompted a national debate in France about the protection of cultural heritage. Security experts warned immediately after the robbery that the unrecovered jewels face a high risk of being broken up, making the continued expansion of the investigation and the pursuit of accomplices critical to the recovery effort.