2 Suspects Arrested in Connection with 7-Minute Jewelry Heist at Paris’ Louvre Museum By Escher Walcott and Liam Quinn

At least two suspects have been arrested after valuable jewels were stolen from the Louvre Museum in France.

On Saturday, Oct. 25, the Paris Banditry Repression Brigade (BRB) and the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Goods (OCBC) led an investigation into the robbery that took place on Oct. 19 at the famous museum, according to French outlets Le Parisien and Paris Match.

One suspect was arrested at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport at around 10 p.m. local time on Saturday, as they were allegedly attempting to board a plane to Algeria. A second suspect was arrested shortly after in Paris, according to the outlets.

The men, who are aged around 30 from Seine-Saint-Denis in France, are allegedly among four suspects who stole eight pieces of jewelry from the museum.

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The arrests come after the Louvre allegedly moved some of its most valuable jewels to the Bank of France, per the Metro.

Thieves broke into the iconic Paris institution on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 19, and took just seven minutes to steal eight pieces of jewelry, linked to France’s bygone monarchy, worth more than $100 million.

The thieves used small chainsaws and angle grinders to get to their targeted room, the AFP reported.

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The jewels stolen included a sapphire tiara, a sapphire necklace and a single sapphire earring worn by Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, as well as a brooch known as the “reliquary brooch,” Reuters reported.

Also stolen were a matching emerald necklace and emerald earrings worn by Marie-Louise, the second wife of Napoleon, as well as a tiara and large brooch that belonged to Empress Eugénie.

The tiara was reportedly later found damaged outside the museum, according to Reuters.

Two of the suspected thieves accused of stealing the jewels wore yellow vests, posing as workers, while two others rode scooters.

Reuters reported that Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau noted the historical importance of the jewels.

“It is important to remember that this damage is an economic damage, but it is nothing compared to the historical damage caused by this theft,” Beccuau said, according to the outlet.