The theft of crown jewels from the Louvre museum led to the arrest of two suspects, as announced by the Paris prosecutor on Sunday.
According to the prosecutor, the arrests were made on Saturday evening, with one of the detained individuals found attempting to leave the country.
One suspect, who was on the verge of departing France, was apprehended at Charles de Gaulle Airport around 10 p.m. on Saturday, while the other suspect was captured later in the evening in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb north of Paris.
Paris police did not provide an immediate comment on the matter.
The heist occurred on Oct. 19 when thieves broke into the renowned museum and stole eight valuable pieces of jewelry valued at around $143 million Cdn from the Louvre’s collection before escaping on motorcycles.
The incident highlighted security deficiencies, as the perpetrators used a crane to break into an upstairs window of the world’s most-visited museum during operational hours, making their getaway on motorcycles.
The news of the robbery resonated globally, prompting introspection in France about what some viewed as a national embarrassment.
Reportedly, the two suspects, aged in their 30s and originally from the Seine-Saint-Denis area, were known to French authorities. One of them was reportedly planning to travel to Algeria.