Total arrests rise to seven as investigators pursue the recovery of priceless Napoleonic-era jewels still missing after the four-minute robbery.

Paris, France – October 30, 2025

French authorities have arrested five additional suspects in connection with the dramatic jewel heist at the Louvre Museum earlier this month, bringing the total number of arrests to seven. The announcement came from Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau on Thursday, just a day after two men confessed to partial involvement in the audacious theft that shocked France and the international art world.

Five New Suspects in Custody

According to Beccuau, the latest arrests include one “main suspect,” believed to have played a central role in planning the Louvre crown jewel robbery. French police carried out coordinated raids across multiple locations in the Paris region late Wednesday evening, following intelligence gathered from forensic evidence and surveillance data.

Although details about the five newly arrested suspects — including their ages and nationalities — have not yet been disclosed, judicial sources told the AFP and RTL radio that the suspects were taken into custody without incident. They are now being questioned by Paris investigators specializing in organized crime.

Expanding Investigation After Earlier Admissions

The wave of arrests follows the earlier detention of two men from the northern Paris suburb of Aubervilliers, who partially admitted to charges of theft committed by an organised gang and criminal conspiracy. Prosecutor Beccuau stated that the pair, aged 34 and 39, were apprehended on Saturday. One suspect, an Algerian national, was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport while attempting to board a one-way flight to Algeria.

The pair have been remanded into custody and face potential sentences of 15 years for organised theft and 10 years for criminal conspiracy. Their statements reportedly helped authorities identify other members of the gang, leading to Wednesday’s arrests.

“We had him in our sights,” Beccuau said, referring to the prime suspect believed to have orchestrated the heist.

Inside the Four-Minute Louvre Heist

The high-profile theft occurred on the morning of October 19, 2025, when visitors were already touring the galleries of the Louvre — the world’s most visited museum. A group of masked intruders entered the Apollo Gallery through an upstairs window and carried out the robbery in just four minutes.

Armed with power tools, the thieves smashed reinforced glass cases and escaped with eight priceless pieces of Napoleonic-era jewellery, including tiaras, necklaces, earrings, and a brooch once owned by the wives of French emperors Napoleon I and Napoleon III.

The jewels, valued at around €88 million ($102 million), have not been recovered. French officials fear the treasures may already have been broken apart or hidden abroad.

Louvre Director Accepts Responsibility for Security Failures

The Louvre Museum’s director appeared before the French Senate last week to acknowledge grave lapses in the museum’s security operations. “Our systems did not detect the arrival of the thieves soon enough,” she admitted, calling the heist a “terrible failure” for the institution.

The director also confirmed that she offered her resignation to France’s culture minister, who declined to accept it, citing the importance of her continued leadership during the ongoing investigation and security overhaul.

The museum curator reiterated that despite the theft, the Louvre’s collection remains safe, and measures are being reinforced, including modernizing its video surveillance systems — many of which were revealed to be outdated or analog.

Pressure Mounts to Recover the Jewels

Authorities are continuing their hunt for the stolen jewels and possible accomplices abroad. International police networks, including Interpol, have been alerted to prevent the items from being smuggled or sold on the black market. Prosecutor Beccuau has warned potential buyers that anyone found in possession of the jewels would face charges of receiving stolen property.

Meanwhile, experts in art crime and gemology emphasize that the jewels’ unique craftsmanship — particularly the pearl tiara worn by Empress Eugénie — makes them nearly impossible to sell or dismantle without detection. “Their historical and cultural value far exceeds their material worth,” one art crime analyst said.

A Growing Pattern of Museum Robberies

The Louvre heist is only the latest in a troubling series of thefts targeting French cultural institutions. In recent weeks, a museum in eastern France reported the loss of gold and silver coins, while the Paris Natural History Museum suffered the theft of gold nuggets worth over $1.5 million. Authorities suspect that some of these crimes could be linked to organized networks specializing in high-value cultural thefts.

What Comes Next

With seven suspects now detained, the investigation is gaining momentum — yet the greatest mystery remains unsolved: Where are the jewels? French police continue to comb through phone records, surveillance footage, and DNA traces, hoping to trace the missing pieces before they vanish permanently.

As Beccuau summarized at the Thursday briefing:

“The arrests mark progress, but the investigation is far from over. Our ultimate goal is to bring the stolen treasures of France back home.”