PARIS, FRANCE – French authorities confirmed on Thursday, October 30, 2025, that a total of seven suspects are now in custody in connection with the brazen daylight robbery of French Crown Jewels from the Louvre Museum, an event that has cast a harsh spotlight on security vulnerabilities at one of the world's foremost cultural institutions. The stolen artifacts, valued at an estimated €88 million (approximately $102 million), remain missing, prompting an international manhunt coordinated by Interpol.

The latest development saw five new suspects arrested on Wednesday night in the Paris region, according to a statement from the office of Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau. One of these individuals is considered a primary suspect, linked to the scene by DNA evidence. These arrests follow the initial detention of two men on Saturday, October 25. Those suspects have since “partially admitted” their involvement and face preliminary charges of organised gang theft and criminal conspiracy, which carry potential prison sentences of 15 and 10 years respectively.

One of the first two men arrested, a 34-year-old Algerian national, was apprehended at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he attempted to board a one-way flight to Algeria. The second, a 39-year-old French citizen with prior convictions for burglary, was arrested at his home in the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers. DNA from both men was reportedly found on items left at the crime scene.

A meticulously planned operation

The heist, which unfolded in under eight minutes on the morning of Sunday, October 19, 2025, was executed with alarming precision. At approximately 9:30 AM local time (10:30 AM EAT), a team of at least four individuals, disguised as maintenance workers, used a stolen furniture truck equipped with a mechanical lift to access a first-floor window of the Galerie d'Apollon. Two individuals entered the gallery, smashed open reinforced display cases with power tools, and seized eight priceless pieces from the collection. They fled on motorbikes driven by two accomplices.

Among the stolen items are historically significant pieces, including an emerald and diamond necklace Napoleon I gifted to his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem that belonged to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, which is set with nearly 2,000 diamonds. A ninth item, the Crown of Empress Eugénie, was dropped by the thieves as they fled and was recovered damaged outside the museum.

Global alert and the black market threat

In response to the theft, Interpol issued a worldwide alert on October 20 and added the eight missing jewels to its Stolen Works of Art database, which is accessible by law enforcement agencies in its 196 member countries. This action is a critical step in preventing the open sale of the items and alerting customs and art dealers globally.

Experts and authorities have expressed grave concerns that the thieves, affiliated with organized crime, may not attempt to sell the jewels intact due to their recognizability. The greater fear is that the historic pieces will be dismantled, their precious stones sold individually, and the gold and platinum settings melted down. Prosecutor Beccuau made a public appeal, warning that anyone purchasing the items would be guilty of possessing stolen goods and urging the perpetrators to return the nation's heritage.

Scrutiny on Louvre's security

The incident has been described as a “terrible failure” by the museum's director and has led to intense scrutiny of the Louvre's security protocols. During a French Senate hearing on October 29, Paris Police Chief Patrice Faure acknowledged significant security lapses, including an expired permit for the museum's camera system and the use of outdated analog technology that provided low-quality images. It was revealed that the first emergency call to police was not from the museum's internal alarm system but from a cyclist outside who witnessed the suspicious activity.

An €80 million ($93 million) security overhaul for the vast museum complex is planned but is not expected to be completed until 2029 or 2030. The stolen jewels were not privately insured; like other national treasures in France, they are self-insured by the state, meaning the financial loss is borne by the public. While this case has no direct links to East Africa, the methods employed by this organized crime group and the subsequent international law enforcement response serve as a critical case study for cultural institutions worldwide, including those in Kenya, highlighting the constant threat of sophisticated criminal networks targeting irreplaceable cultural heritage.