Camille Naredo

A French police officer walks in front of the Louvre Museum after a robbery, in Paris on October 19, 2025. Dimitar Dilkoff, AFP

A French police officer walks in front of the Louvre Museum after a robbery, in Paris on October 19, 2025. Robbers broke in to the Louvre and fled with jewellery on October 19, 2025 morning, a source close to the case said, adding that its value was still being evaluated. A police source said an unknown number of thieves arrived on a scooter armed with small chainsaws and used a goods lift to reach the room they were targeting. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE --

Article (news)

Louvre 

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1761490816411AFP__20251019__79AW9ZU__v2__MidRes__FranceMuseumRobbery.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="A French police officer walks in front of the Louvre Museum after a robbery, in Paris on October 19, 2025. Dimitar Dilkoff, AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A French police officer walks in front of the Louvre Museum after a robbery, in Paris on October 19, 2025. <em>Dimitar Dilkoff, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>PARIS, France -- French authorities have detained two of the suspected robbers believed to have stolen precious crown jewels from the Louvre in a museum heist that stunned the world, officials said Sunday.</p><p>A swarm of investigators had been mobilized to track down the thieves who robbed the world-renowned museum in broad daylight on October 19, making off with jewelry worth an estimated $102 million in just a few minutes.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/10/19/power-tool-wielding-robbers-flee-louvre-with-priceless-jewellery-2158">READ: Robbers steal French crown jewels from Louvre</a></div><p>Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said they had &quot;carried out arrests on Saturday evening&quot;.</p><p>&quot;One of the men arrested was about to leave the country&quot; from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, Beccuau said.</p><p>A source close to the case told AFP the man was about to board a plane for Algeria.</p><p>The second man had been detained not long afterward in the Paris region, media reports said.</p><p>The two men were taken into police custody on suspicion of organized theft and criminal conspiracy. They could be held up to 96 hours.</p><p>Beccuau deplored the public revelation of the arrests, first revealed in media reports, warning they &quot;can only hinder the efforts of the 100 investigators mobilized&quot; in the hunt for the jewels and the perpetrators.</p><p>Interior Minister Laurent Nunez also called for confidentiality while congratulating the investigators &quot;who have worked tirelessly&quot;, in a post on X.</p><p>In the heist last Sunday, the robbers clambered up the extendable ladder of a stolen movers&#x27; truck and, using cutting equipment, broke into a first-floor gallery that houses royal gems.</p><p>They dropped a diamond- and emerald-studded crown as they fled down the ladder and onto scooters, but managed to steal eight other pieces, including an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon Bonaparte gave his wife, Empress Marie-Louise.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/10/21/louvre-denies-tapping-israeli-firm-in-theft-probe-1107">READ: Louvre denies tapping Israeli firm in theft probe</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>- &#x27;Concern for the jewelry&#x27; -</strong></div><p>The brazen theft has made headlines across the world and sparked a debate in France about the security of cultural institutions.</p><p>The Louvre&#x27;s director has admitted the robbers had taken advantage of a blind spot in the security surveillance of the museum&#x27;s outside walls.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/10/23/louvre-director-admits-insufficient-camera-coverage-after-heist-0116">READ: Louvre director admits &#x27;insufficient&#x27; camera coverage after heist</a></div><p>But Beccuau said public and private security cameras elsewhere had allowed detectives to track the thieves &quot;in Paris and in surrounding regions&quot;.</p><p>Investigators were also able to find DNA samples and fingerprints at the scene from items left behind by the robbers as they fled, including gloves, a high-vis vest, a blowtorch and power tools.</p><p>They also dropped a crown that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, which was damaged and needs to be restored.</p><p>The rest of the pieces have not been recovered and risk to be broken apart, their precious metal settings melted down.</p><p>Nunez expressed his &quot;concern for the jewelry&quot; in an interview with French weekly La Tribune Dimanche on Sunday, saying the heist appeared to have been carried out by an organized crime group but adding that &quot;thieves are always eventually caught&quot;.</p><p>&quot;The loot is unfortunately often stashed abroad. I hope that&#x27;s not the case -- I remain confident,&quot; he added.</p><p>The Louvre theft is the latest in a string of robberies targeting French museums.</p><p>Less than 24 hours after the Louvre break-in, a museum in eastern France reported the theft of gold and silver coins after finding a smashed display case.</p><p>Last month, criminals broke into Paris&#x27;s Natural History Museum, making off with gold nuggets worth more than $1.5 million. A Chinese woman has been detained and charged with involvement in the theft.</p><p>Culture Minister Rachida Dati said on X on Friday she had requested findings from an investigation into the Louvre&#x27;s security by early next week to &quot;announce concrete measures to secure&quot; the museum.</p>

<p>French authorities have detained two of the suspected robbers believed to have stolen precious crown jewels from the Louvre in a museum heist that stunned the world, officials said Sunday.</p>

French authorities have detained two of the suspected robbers believed to have stolen precious crown jewels from the Louvre in a museum heist that stunned the world, officials said Sunday.

Two suspects arrested in Louvre jewel heist

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

World

Two suspects arrested in Louvre jewel heist

Agence France-Presse

Published Oct 26, 2025 11:03 PM PHT

Read More:

Louvre

museum heist

Louvre heist

crown jewels

Paris

France

Laure Beccuau

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.