5 New Suspects Arrested in Connection with Louvre Heist as Stolen Jewels Worth More Than $100 Million Remain Missing By Becca Longmire

Five new suspects have been arrested after extremely valuable jewels were stolen from the Louvre Museum in France, authorities have said.

Items linked to France’s bygone monarchy — worth an estimated €88 million, the equivalent of more than $100 million — were taken from the iconic Paris museum in a stunning daytime heist that lasted just seven minutes on Sunday, Oct. 19.

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

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau has now told RTL radio that five new suspects were arrested on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 29, at around 9 p.m. local time, per a translated interview. The missing jewels have not yet been recovered.

“I can confirm five new arrests in Paris and [neighboring department] Seine-Saint-Denis in connection with the Louvre Museum theft,” a Paris Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson said in an email to PEOPLE on Thursday, Oct. 30.

The new suspects could be detained for up to four days before being charged or released, the BBC reported.

The latest arrests came after two men arrested in connection with the robbery on Oct. 25 “partially admitted their involvement in the events to investigators,” Beccuau said during a press conference, according to ABC News.

DNA evidence linked a main suspect to the theft, France 24 reported, citing Beccuau. The prosecutor said this suggested he was among the four-man team that carried out the heist almost two weeks ago, however, she added that it was “too early” to give additional details about the suspects, per the outlet.

Related Stories

Paris’ Louvre Museum Forced to Close After Chainsaw-Wielding Thieves Pull Off 7-Minute Heist, Escape with Jewelry Worth Millions

French Minister Admits ‘We Have Failed’ After Thieves with Chainsaws Stole ‘Priceless Jewels’ from the Louvre Museum

Beccuau said the gang involved in the robbery could be bigger than the four people caught on CCTV, according to the BBC.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that the two men being held in custody had been charged with organized robbery and conspiracy to commit a crime in connection with the heist, ABC News reported, citing the prosecutor. Both suspects have been remanded in custody and will remain in jail until their trial.

If convicted, the suspects could face a prison sentence of up to 15 years and heavy fines, the outlet reported.

As previously reported by PEOPLE, the two men were arrested after 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 on Saturday, 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 are aged around 30 from Seine-Saint-Denis in France.

The jewels stolen in the heist 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.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

After the robbery, the Louvre has since transferred some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France’s most secure vault in Paris, the BBC reported. The vault is located 85 feet below the ground of the location’s headquarters in the French capital.