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The Big Sip
Image: Time
The take: French police arrested two suspects in the €88 million Louvre heist within a week. Four thieves stole Napoleon's crown jewels using a truck-mounted ladder and motorbikes in under eight minutes.
What happened: On Saturday evening, French authorities arrested two men in their 30s—one at Charles de Gaulle Airport attempting to board a flight to Algeria, the other in Seine-Saint-Denis suburb—connected to the 19 October daylight robbery that saw thieves steal Napoleon's crown jewels using a truck-mounted ladder and motorbikes.
Why it matters: The arrests demonstrate effective police response under high-profile pressure. The heist succeeded because the Louvre's second-floor windows had inadequate security for a facility housing priceless treasures.
What to watch: Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau declined to confirm whether any of the stolen jewels have been recovered or specify exact arrest numbers, with at least two suspects from the original four-person team still at large and €88 million in royal jewelry unaccounted for.
[Report] Time magazine covers the arrests and ongoing manhunt.
French police detained both suspects on Saturday evening, one while attempting to flee the country, the other in northern Paris.
Both men were already known to law enforcement.
The thieves executed the heist on 19 October, using a truck-mounted extendable ladder to reach a second-floor Apollo Gallery window, smashing display cases and escaping on motorbikes with eight pieces.
Among the stolen items was a diamond-and-emerald necklace Napoleon had gifted Empress Marie-Louise. They dropped one crown during their escape but fled with the rest.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez praised the "investigators who have worked tirelessly" on the case.
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Here’s Your Brew
French police arrested two suspects within one week of the 19 October Louvre robbery. Authorities detained one suspect at the airport gate attempting to board a flight to Algeria.
High-profile cases receive significant investigative resources. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez praised the 100 investigators working the case.
The Louvre's second-floor windows had inadequate security for a facility housing priceless treasures.
The heist succeeded because thieves accessed the gallery using a truck-mounted ladder.
The arrests demonstrate police effectiveness.
The security vulnerabilities that enabled the theft remain a concern. Two suspects and €88 million in royal jewelry remain unaccounted for.
Two Sides, One Mug
Image: ABC News
Pro: Swift arrests within one week demonstrate practical police work under pressure. Detaining one suspect at the airport shows that investigators correctly predicted escape routes and acted decisively to prevent an international flight.
Con: The arrests don't address the underlying security failure. Four criminals, using a ladder, defeated security at the world's most famous museum in under eight minutes during opening hours, exposing significant institutional vulnerabilities that police work cannot retroactively fix.
Our read: Police responded effectively. The Louvre's security measures proved inadequate. The arrests receive attention while the security failures that enabled the theft receive less scrutiny.
Receipt of the Day
[Report] Paris Prosecutor's statement via The Globe and Mail — Laure Beccuau confirmed arrests but declined to specify numbers or whether stolen jewels were recovered, warning that media leaks "could hinder investigative efforts."
Translation: they caught people, not jewels, and publicly admitting that means the €88 million is still gone.
Spit Take
Eight minutes. Eight pieces. €88 million gone. — Time
Coffee Break Links ×3
NBC News on France's "national humiliation" — Why political opponents are using the heist to attack Macron, and how museum staff warned about understaffing months before the robbery. [Analysis]
ABC News minute-by-minute breakdown — Timeline of precisely what happened in those seven minutes, including which tools the thieves left behind and the DNA evidence police recovered from a dropped helmet. [Report]
CNN on what happens to the suspects next — The 96-hour custody clock is ticking, and investigators still haven't said if any jewels were recovered—here's what authorities can and can't do during questioning. [Report]
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