Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau says the four people held over the October 19 Louvre theft were local petty criminals from Seine-Saint-Denis with no clear ties to organised crime. One suspect is 37 with 11 prior convictions (10 for robbery); another has 15 convictions, and two of the men were convicted together in a 2015 Paris robbery. The thieves used a truck-mounted ladder to access the Apollo Gallery, forced open two high-security cases and stole nine items, including a diamond and sapphire set once worn by Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense. Investigations and custody proceedings are ongoing as authorities try to recover the stolen pieces.
Louvre Heist: Prosecutor Says Suspects Were Local Petty Criminals, Not Linked to Organized Crime
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau says the four people held over the October 19 Louvre theft were local petty criminals from Seine-Saint-Denis with no clear ties to organised crime. One suspect is 37 with 11 prior convictions (10 for robbery); another has 15 convictions, and two of the men were convicted together in a 2015 Paris robbery. The thieves used a truck-mounted ladder to access the Apollo Gallery, forced open two high-security cases and stole nine items, including a diamond and sapphire set once worn by Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense. Investigations and custody proceedings are ongoing as authorities try to recover the stolen pieces.
16:09, 03.11.2025Security
Louvre Heist Suspects Were Local Petty Criminals, Paris Prosecutor Says
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told investigators that the four people held in connection with the October 19 theft at the Louvre appear to be local petty criminals from Seine-Saint-Denis, with no proven ties to organised crime. The group consists of three men and one woman who were living in or around the northern Paris suburb when they were detained.
Beccuau said one man, aged 37, has 11 prior convictions — 10 for robbery — and another suspect has 15 previous convictions, including two for robbery. The two men were previously convicted together for the same Paris robbery in 2015. One of the men is in a long-term relationship with the 38-year-old woman now in custody.
“They are clearly local people,” Beccuau said. She added that, while the suspects do not appear to be linked to organised criminal networks, authorities are observing people with limited organised-crime ties escalating quickly to very serious offences.
The thieves targeted the Louvre's Apollo Gallery on the museum's upper floor, where France's crown jewels are displayed. On October 19 they used a truck-mounted ladder to reach the gallery through a window, forced open two high-security display cases and made off with nine items, including a diamond and sapphire set once worn by Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense.
Investigations remain ongoing and the suspects are in custody while authorities work to recover the stolen pieces and determine whether others were involved. Prosecutors say the suspects' profiles will shape investigative and prosecutorial decisions as the case proceeds.