Le Parisien: Louvre suspect claims €15,000 offer from Slavic-accented men

One of the suspects in the Louvre heist, Abdoulaye, said he was offered €15,000 by two men speaking with a Slavic accent.

A month after the Paris museum robbery, police arrested him in Mayenne; he is considered the last member of the four-person commando and is being questioned for “organised theft,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Le Parisien.

According to the newspaper, the investigation shows that the heist was carefully planned, and the possibility of foreign sponsors is being considered. Abdoulaye told authorities he did not realise he was robbing one of the world’s most famous museums.

A few days before the robbery, a man “with a Slavic accent” contacted him and promised €15,000, leading him to believe he was targeting an abandoned facility.

Police are treating the suspects’ statements cautiously, but do not rule out that the investigation could point to “overseas sponsors.”

Surveillance footage from the morning of October 19 shows Abdoulaye at the François Mitterrand quay with an accomplice while two others stole the Crown Jewels from the Galerie d'Apollon. Authorities are still searching for the stolen jewels, valued at €88 million and priceless to French heritage.

The suspects, all from Aubervilliers, have minor criminal backgrounds and longstanding connections. Two of them, Slimane K. and Abdoulaye N., were longtime friends with previous petty crimes together, while Ayed G. is Slimane K.’s cousin.

According to their statements, the team was acting on orders and lacked professional experience.

On October 19, 2025, a group of four thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris using a truck-mounted lift to reach the second-floor balcony of the Galerie d'Apollon, where the French crown jewels were on display.

In under eight minutes (about four minutes inside the museum itself), they smashed glass cases with power tools and fled on motorbikes — leaving behind some of their equipment and, reportedly, a crown dropped near the museum.

Eight jewel pieces were stolen, including tiaras, necklaces, a brooch and other items from royal and imperial collections dating to the 19th century.

Investigators said the theft represents not only a huge financial loss (valued at €88 million) but an irreplaceable blow to heritage preservation.

By Jeyhun Aghazada