French detectives probing last week’s dramatic robbery at the Louvre Museum have uncovered signs that the audacious heist may have involved insider cooperation, according to The Telegraph on Saturday, citing sources close to the investigation.
Four masked men, wielding a chainsaw, broke into the Paris landmark and made off with eight pieces of France’s crown jewels valued at approximately $102 million. Investigators reportedly found messages and recordings indicating that at least one museum employee, including a security guard, may have been in contact with the suspected gang members prior to the raid. “Sensitive information was passed on about the museum’s security, which is how they were aware of the breach,” a source told The Telegraph.
The robbers allegedly used a crane to reach a balcony and smash a window of the Galerie d’Apollon, which was open to visitors at the time. The entire operation lasted only seven minutes. The thieves escaped via the museum’s furniture elevator before fleeing on motorbikes. Investigators have collected more than 150 DNA samples from helmets, gloves, and tools left at the scene.
Louvre director Laurence des Cars called the theft a “terrible failure” during a French Senate committee hearing, noting that a camera near the break-in site had been “pointing in the wrong direction.” In response, several of the museum’s most valuable jewels have been transferred to the Bank of France for safekeeping.
On Sunday, authorities arrested two suspects near Paris, including one at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Algeria. Both men, reportedly in their 30s, were identified in part through DNA evidence. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed the arrests but criticized media leaks, warning they could “hinder the efforts of the 100 investigators mobilized.”
There is currently no information suggesting that any of the stolen crown jewels have been recovered. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez praised the police for their progress while emphasizing that the investigation must continue “in accordance with judicial secrecy.”
