"Looks like organized crime" DNA traces lead to the arrest of two Louvre robbers - hope for answers

One week after the break-in at the Louvre in Paris, two suspects are in custody. But will the successful manhunt lead to the solution of the crime - and the valuable loot?

One week after the break-in at the Louvre in Paris, investigators have reported an initial success in the manhunt: Two men have been arrested. One of the suspects was stopped at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, the second suspect was arrested in the Paris region, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed to the German Press Agency.

Both are now in custody for gang theft. The arrests were made on Saturday evening at around 10.00 pm. Two other suspected accomplices are still on the run.

Details of the suspects

According to the BFMTV channel, the two men are said to be in their 30s and already known to the police authorities. As reported by France Info, DNA traces found at the crime scene are said to have led directly to the suspects. According to "Paris Match", the man arrested at the airport probably intended to fly to Algeria. Public prosecutor Beccuau regretted the premature disclosure of information by third parties, which damaged the investigation.

During the break-in on Sunday a week ago, four unknown perpetrators stole jewelry and jewels with an estimated value of around 88 million euros. The thieves broke open two display cases and took eight precious pieces of jewelry from former queens and empresses - including tiaras, necklaces, earrings and brooches set with precious stones.

Home Secretary warns against exporting the loot

According to the police, the robbery was meticulously prepared: Two climbed into the Galerie d'Apollon using an aerial work platform, while the other two used scooters to secure their escape. They left behind various items at the scene of the crime, including helmets, a welding machine, a yellow high-visibility vest and cut-off wheels, some of which were doused in petrol - and around 150 traces of DNA.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez praised the work of the investigators on Platform X - and promised determination in the further investigation. Unfortunately, the loot is often taken abroad, "Libération" quoted the politician as saying. He hopes that this is not the case here and remains confident. Experts fear that diamonds and precious stones will be removed and the gold melted down.

Possible backers and complicity

Could the two arrested suspects just be accomplices? Who is really behind the spectacular coup at the Louvre - an organized criminal gang, as the public prosecutor's office and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez suspect? "It looks like organized crime, we'll see," Nuñez told the newspaper "La Tribune Dimanche".

Was there even complicity within the museum? The investigators have not ruled out this scenario either. Information from the English-language newspaper "The Telegraph" suggests that a security employee was in contact with the suspected perpetrators before the robbery and may have actively passed on information. Investigators are also hoping to gain new insights into this from those arrested.

Only a fraction of stolen art is ever returned

Experts estimate the return rate at around eight percent of all stolen art objects. A look at previous cases of art theft shows that a large proportion of the loot has disappeared forever. This includes a painting by the important French landscape painter Jean-Baptiste Corot, which was stolen from the Louvre in 1998, as well as five works by Picasso, Matisse, Braque, Modigliani and Léger from the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.

Probably one of the most spectacular burglaries took place in 1990 at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. 13 works worth 500 million dollars (Rembrandt, Vermeer, etc.) were stolen there - and never found again - despite the FBI offering a reward of 10 million dollars. Empty frames have been hanging there ever since.

The spectacular break-in at the Louvre also triggered a debate about the museum's security precautions. The Louvre is considered the most visited museum in the world. Leonardo da Vinci's world-famous Mona Lisa is also on display there. The museum has been open to the public again since Wednesday - with the exception of the Galerie d'Apollon, where the theft took place.