Louvre heist in Paris carried out by petty criminals, not mafia – prosecutor

The spectacular theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris, during which historic jewels worth $102 million were stolen, was committed by a group of petty criminals rather than professional mafia members, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said, according to Reuters.

Investigators have arrested three of the four suspected thieves, though the stolen jewels remain missing. Prosecutors said the suspects’ “profiles do not resemble Ocean's Eleven-style professional gangsters,” but small-time criminals from the hardscrabble northern suburbs of Paris.

"This is not quite everyday delinquency... but it is a type of delinquency that we do not generally associate with the upper echelons of organised crime," Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told franceinfo radio.

Among those detained are two men, aged 34 and 39, suspected of breaking into the museum. Both live in the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers and have partially confessed. The 34-year-old Algerian suspect was arrested at the airport while attempting to flee to his home country, while the second suspect was already under judicial supervision for previous thefts.

Two more suspects — a 37-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman — were arrested on October 29. The man was linked to the crime through DNA evidence found in the getaway vehicle. He reportedly has 11 prior convictions for theft and attempted ATM robberies. The woman, his partner and mother of their children, denied any involvement.

French media suggested the thieves were inexperienced, noting that during their escape they dropped the most valuable relic — Empress Eugénie’s crown — and left behind tools and a glove at the scene.

Police said at least one suspect remains at large, and investigators have not ruled out the involvement of additional accomplices.

By Khagan Isayev