French police have arrested two men who are believed to be involved in a daring heist worth €88m at the world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris. The brazen theft, which took place last Sunday, left authorities stunned and scrambling to piece together what happened.
According to officials, one of the suspects was detained at Charles de Gaulle airport on Saturday night as he attempted to board a flight to Algeria. The suspect had been under observation by police for some time before being arrested on suspicion of organized theft and criminal conspiracy.
A second suspect was also taken into custody in the Paris region, bringing the total number of arrests made in connection with the heist to two.
French authorities confirmed that forensic analysis of items left behind at the scene, including gloves, a hi-vis vest, a motorbike helmet, angle grinders, and other power tools, helped identify the suspects.
The investigation into the theft has revealed that four men pulled up outside the Louvre in a stolen furniture removal truck before smashing an unsecured window to gain access. They used disc cutters to open display cases and escaped on motorbikes within just seven minutes of arriving at the scene.
Despite the thieves making off with some of the museum's most valuable pieces, including Napoleon I's emerald and diamond-studded crown, authorities remain optimistic that they will be recovered.
The heist has raised concerns about security vulnerabilities at the Louvre, which has a long history of being one of the world's most secure museums. While internal alarms functioned normally during the theft, external cameras were not adequately positioned to capture the thieves' access point.
French authorities have promised concrete measures to improve security at the museum in response to the investigation into last week's heist.
According to officials, one of the suspects was detained at Charles de Gaulle airport on Saturday night as he attempted to board a flight to Algeria. The suspect had been under observation by police for some time before being arrested on suspicion of organized theft and criminal conspiracy.
A second suspect was also taken into custody in the Paris region, bringing the total number of arrests made in connection with the heist to two.
French authorities confirmed that forensic analysis of items left behind at the scene, including gloves, a hi-vis vest, a motorbike helmet, angle grinders, and other power tools, helped identify the suspects.
The investigation into the theft has revealed that four men pulled up outside the Louvre in a stolen furniture removal truck before smashing an unsecured window to gain access. They used disc cutters to open display cases and escaped on motorbikes within just seven minutes of arriving at the scene.
Despite the thieves making off with some of the museum's most valuable pieces, including Napoleon I's emerald and diamond-studded crown, authorities remain optimistic that they will be recovered.
The heist has raised concerns about security vulnerabilities at the Louvre, which has a long history of being one of the world's most secure museums. While internal alarms functioned normally during the theft, external cameras were not adequately positioned to capture the thieves' access point.
French authorities have promised concrete measures to improve security at the museum in response to the investigation into last week's heist.
and whats up with the furniture removal truck? that was a pretty wild get-around-the-security-thing. i mean, i know its a famous museum but 7 minutes is crazy fast to crack all those display cases. and internal alarms worked fine so its not like they were all oblivious to what was going down. also, why did they leave gloves and stuff behind? dont these thieves know that forensic analysis is a thing now? 
source me on this pls.
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. They're not just talking about monetary value here; they're talking about cultural artifacts, pieces of history that can never be replaced. It's like we're losing a part of ourselves in this world, you know?
!!! I'm still trying to wrap my head around €88m worth of art being stolen from one of the world's most iconic museums, the Louvre 
! I feel for the French authorities who are already dealing with this massive investigation and need to figure out what happened in just 7 minutes 
!
. And to think, Napoleon I's emerald and diamond-studded crown was one of the items taken... priceless 
! 
. I hope they're taking concrete steps to improve security measures, like installing more cameras and alarms 
. Can't have this kind of brazen heist happening again anytime soon #LouvreSecurity #MuseumHeist #TheftInTheCity
and yeah, they got away w/ some super valuable stuff like Napoleon's crown 
gotta stay safe online & offline, rite? 
i'm glad no one was hurt but seriously how did they even manage to pull off something like this in broad daylight? 
and the fact that they used tools from a furniture removal truck is genius 
but also super alarming... security at the Louvre needs to be upgraded ASAP 
I'm so shocked and amazed by this daring heist at the Louvre! €88m is a huge amount of money, but what's even more impressive (or disturbing 
) is how brazenly they were able to pull it off. Seven minutes? That's crazy fast! 
.