Seven Detained After Louvre Crown Jewels Heist

On Oct. 19 thieves used a truck-mounted lifting platform to reach the Louvre's Galerie d'Apollon, forced open a first-floor balcony, cut display cases with power tools and stole eight pieces of the French crown jewels in a brazen six-to-seven-minute raid, fleeing on scooters. The items are valued at about €88 million; one of the crowns was later found damaged near the museum while the other pieces remain missing. Authorities have detained seven people so far: two earlier suspects are in custody and have partially admitted involvement, and prosecutors say two more suspects — a 37-year-old man charged with organised gang theft and criminal conspiracy and a 38-year-old woman accused as an accomplice — have been placed in pre-trial detention, while several others have been released without charge. Forensic evidence, including DNA found on a scooter and on display cases, helped identify suspects, and police said one suspect was stopped at Charles-de-Gaulle airport with a one-way ticket to Algeria. France's cultural authorities criticised 'chronic, structural' security shortcomings at the Louvre, and the museum has pledged to install anti-intrusion and anti-vehicle measures as the criminal investigation continues.