The theft of $102 million worth of historical jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris on October 19 was carried out by “petty criminals,” not professionals linked to organized crime. This was reported by the Paris prosecutor’s office, Reuters reports.
“This is not exactly ordinary crime, but it is a type of crime that we do not usually associate with the higher echelons of organised crime”, said Paris prosecutor Laura Becquo.
She explained that the profiles of the four detained individuals, including the girlfriend of one of the suspected robbers, do not match the characteristics of experienced criminals capable of carrying out complex operations.
“These are clearly local residents. They all live in Seine-Saint-Denis, Becquo added, referring to a low-income area in northern Paris.
French media also suggest that the attackers acted like amateurs. They left the most valuable items at the scene of the crime – the crown of Empress Eugenie, made of gold, emeralds and diamonds, as well as tools, a glove and other items, and did not even manage to set fire to the truck during their escape.
As a reminder, on October 25, French police detained two men suspected of robbing the museum.
On October 30, Paris prosecutor Laura Becquo announced the arrest of five more people suspected of involvement in the crime. Two of them partially admitted their involvement and were formally charged with “theft committed by an organized group and participation in a criminal group.”
On November 2, two more suspects appeared in the case — a 37-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman. Thus, the total number of formal suspects in the case increased to four.
