Pair arrested over Louvre £76million ‘heist of the century’ were trying to flee to Africa when police swooped
Two burglars suspected of stealing £76million-worth of jewels from the Louvre were under arrest in Paris today after trying to escape to Africa.
The men, who have not been named, were taken into custody a week after the spectacular seven-minute heist at the world’s most visited art museum.
Both in their 30s and from the French capital’s northern suburbs, had been under surveillance thanks to forensic evidence left behind at the crime scene.
Their DNA is thought to be among 150 traces left behind, including on a flatbed truck with an extendable ladder that was used to get up to a first-floor window.
When one was seen heading to Paris Charles De Gaulle airport at around 10pm on Saturday, so as to get a flight to Algeria, investigators took the decision to swoop.
‘There was a coordinated operation by armed officers to arrest the man, who was well known to the authorities,’ said one.
‘This action was considered an emergency, despite hopes that the men would lead those watching them to the stolen jewels.’
The second suspect was said to be on his way to Mali, the west African country, when he too was apprehended.
French police officers stand next to a furniture elevator used by robbers to enter the Louvre Museum, on Quai Francois Mitterrand, in Paris on October 19, 2025
Investigators were seen at the Louvre after it was placed into lockdown
Neither Algeria or Mali, which are both former French colonies, have extradition treaties with their former Imperial masters.
Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor who is leading the investigation into the Louvre heist, was furious that news of the two arrests had been made public.
She said: ‘I deeply deplore the hasty disclosure of this information by informed individuals, without consideration for the investigation.
‘This revelation can only harm the investigative efforts of the hundred or so investigators involved in the search for both the stolen jewellery and all the perpetrators.’
Despite this, Laurent Nunez, France’s Interior Minister, took to X to write: ‘I extend my warmest congratulations to the investigators who have worked tirelessly as I requested and who have always had my full confidence.
‘The investigations must continue while respecting the confidentiality of the inquiry under the authority of the specialised interregional jurisdiction of Paris prosecutors. It will be with the same determination !! We keep going !!’
It is common practice for suspects to be placed under surveillance following a heist, as police hope suspects will lead them to the stolen goods.
But the French authorities confirmed that there was no sign of the so-called Louvre crown jewels.
The men were taken to the high-security headquarters of the Paris judicial police, where they were being questioned on Sunday.
Four raiders were seen at the Louvre last Sunday, and some were videoed by witnesses.
The jewellery taken included a broach containing 2348 diamonds, and a tiara with 1083 diamonds – all of it once worn by relatives of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Five security guards ran away, while police responding to an alarm arrived far too late to see the gang disappearing on two motor scooters.
It was only through luck that the villains dropped a fabulously ornate headpiece created for the Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoléon III, for the French capital’s Universal Exhibition in 1855.
The treasure was extremely badly damaged and will require months of intricate restoration.
Jewellery that was left behind by the Louvre burglars has since been transferred to the Bank of France.
The collections of the historic Apollo Gallery were deposited in the Bank’s main vault, which is buried 85feet (26m) underground, along with France’s gold reserves.
The ultra-secure space is also home to the £500million notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, who painted the Louvre’s most famous treasure – the Mona Lisa.
The Louvre welcomed nearly 9 million visitors in 2024, 80% of whom were foreigners, including hundreds of thousands of people from the UK.
Those stealing historical art pieces are often working to the orders of dealers who will be unable to sell on the black market.
Instead, the jewellery will be kept hidden and enjoyed by the master criminal who commissioned the raid.
Alternatively, criminals may chose to break the pieces up, and sell jewels and golds independently, so disguising their historic origins.
