Five new suspects have been arrested over the theft of France’s crown jewels from the Louvre museum, the Paris prosecutor announced Thursday, bringing the total number of arrests over the stunning heist to seven.
Of the five new suspects, one is believed to have been part of the four-man gang who carried out the heist, Laure Beccuau, the prosecutor, told French radio RTL.
This means that, following an 11-day manhunt, police have now arrested three of the four men they believe participated directly in the heist, disguising themselves as construction workers to steal artifacts dating to the Napoleonic era.
Beccuau said the investigation had yet to uncover any of the looted treasures, estimated to be worth more than $100 million. Experts say the jewels – among them an emerald necklace set with more than 1,000 diamonds gifted by Napoleon to his second wife – were likely to be dismantled for their raw materials.
The latest arrests took place Wednesday night in Paris and in the surrounding region, including in Seine-Saint-Denis.
Continue reading the complete article on the original source
