French police hunting stolen jewels arrest more suspects

Police have arrested five more suspects linked to the theft of treasures worth $102 million from the Louvre Museum’s Apollo gallery, the Paris prosecutor said on Thursday, expressing hope the latest developments will help them find the jewels.

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Four hooded thieves made off with their booty during opening hours on the morning of October 19, exposing security lapses at the world’s most-visited museum in a brazen daylight heist that sent shockwaves around the world and prompted soul-searching in France over what some viewed as a national humiliation.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told radio station RTL on Thursday the latest suspects had been arrested in coordinated raids in Paris and its northern suburbs on Wednesday evening. One of them was identified through DNA traces left at the crime scene but it was not clear if all were suspected of direct involvement. The investigation was gaining momentum after phones and other objects found on the suspects allowed investigators to study encrypted communications they made, she added.