Louvre heist: Five new suspects arrested as search for jewels continues

Five more people were arrested overnight in connection with the Louvre crown jewels heist, bringing the total number of arrests to seven, the Paris public prosecutor has said.

Speaking to RTL radio, prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed that one of the suspects, who was identified by DNA, is believed to have been part of the four-person team that robbed the museum in broad daylight on 19 October.

Beccuau did not provide information on the identities of the other suspects, but said that they "may be able to inform us about how the events unfolded".

The stolen jewels, which have a value of €88 million, remain missing. They were taken after the thieves broke in through a window to the Louvre's Apollo Gallery and cut into glass cases with power tools.

Their loot included a diamond-and-emerald necklace that Napoleon Bonaparte gave to Empress Marie Louise as a wedding gift, crown jewels tied to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and Empress Eugénie’s pearl-and-diamond tiara.

"The jewels are not yet in our possession. I want to remain hopeful that they will be found and can be returned to the Louvre and, more broadly, to the nation," Beccuau said on Thursday.

The prosecutor also renewed her appeals for those in possession of the items to return them.

"These jewels are now, of course, unsellable…Anyone who buys them would be guilty of concealment of stolen goods. There’s still time to give them back," she said.

Speaking at a press conference the previous day, Beccuau revealed that two men who were arrested on Saturday had "partially admitted their involvement" in the robbery.

On Wednesday, the two suspects, who are aged 34 and 39, were charged with theft by an organised gang and criminal conspiracy.

One was stopped at Charles-de-Gaulle Airport with a one-way ticket to Algeria. His DNA matched a scooter used in the getaway, according to prosecutors.

Beccuau said there is no evidence so far of insider help among Louvre staff. However, investigators are not ruling out a wider network beyond the four seen on security footage, she added.