Louvre burglary: two new suspects under investigation, three released

Two new people were indicted on Saturday following the burglary of the Louvre museum, a source close to the case told franceinfo.

Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, said a 37-year-old suspect was charged with "organised gang theft" and "criminal conspiracy". The other, a 38-year-old woman, is accused of being an accomplice. They were both incarcerated.

They both denied involvement, the prosecutor said.

Five people were arrested by police on Wednesday in connection with the case, including one tied by DNA. Three have been released without charges, Beccuau said.

"One of them was indeed one of the investigators' targets, and we had him in our sights", she said on French radio network RTL, adding that "DNA traces" had been found at the scene.

The four other arrests concerned people who could provide information about the burglary, she added, without revealing any further information.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Beccuau revealed that the two people arrested on Saturday evening on suspicion of involvement in the spectacular burglary at the Louvre had "partially admitted their involvement".

Debate over security measures

The "heist of the century" has sparked intense debate over security at the Louvre, the world's most visited art museum.

On Friday, Culture Minister Rachida Dati unveiled the initial conclusions of the investigation by the General Inspectorate of Cultural Affairs, with a highly critical assessment: "chronic, structural underestimation of the risk of intrusion and theft" by the Louvre, "under-equipped security systems", "inappropriate" governance and "totally obsolete" protocols for reacting to theft and intrusion.

Dati said that the alarms had worked during the theft, but acknowledged "security flaws". "We can't go on like this", she insisted, according to Le Figaro.

In response, the Louvre, who has been under pressure following the theft of the crown jewels, will install anti-intrusion and anti-vehicle devices on the public highway before the end of the year, the Culture Minister announced on Friday.

The thieves used a truck-mounted cherry picker to reach a window in the Apollo gallery and ran off with eight crown jewels within minutes.

This week, the French Senate examined the shortcomings in the surveillance system and examined who bears responsibility. Several lawmakers and trade unions questioned whether the minister’s actions represent genuine reform or are mere symbolic gestures.

Laurence des Cars, director of the Louvre, previously said that the museum needs physical barriers to prevent vehicles from parking near the most vulnerable display cases.

She also called for a police station to be set up directly within the museum perimetres, to enhance security at a site that attracts more than 8 million visitors a year.