Eight Detained in Connection with Daylight Theft of Imperial Jewels from Louvre

French judicial authorities confirmed on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, the apprehension of four additional individuals implicated in the daylight robbery of French imperial jewels from the Louvre Museum that occurred on October 19, 2025. This latest action raises the total number of persons formally charged or detained in connection with the heist to eight.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, who is overseeing the investigation, identified the newly detained as two men, aged 38 and 39, and two women, aged 31 and 40, all from the Paris region. The investigation continues to examine the scope of the network supporting the operation, as some previously arrested individuals had prior offenses on record. One of the initial four arrested, a 39-year-old from the suburb of Aubervilliers, is believed to be the fourth member of the primary team responsible for the physical theft.

The crime, executed during regular museum hours, involved a coordinated effort where the principal thieves used a freight lift positioned beneath the Apollo Gallery to gain access to a window, which they subsequently broke. In under seven minutes, the perpetrators used angle grinders to breach the display cases and secure eight pieces of royal jewelry, estimated by some sources to be worth approximately $102 million. The stolen items include historically significant artifacts, such as an emerald and diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon I to Empress Marie-Louise and a pearl-and-diamond tiara belonging to Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III.

During their rapid exit, the thieves dropped the jewel-encrusted crown of Empress Eugenie, which was recovered, though reports indicate small fragments are missing. The remaining seven items, which include jewels linked to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, remain unrecovered, leading to speculation that they may be quickly dismantled to avoid detection. Louvre Director Laurence des Cars noted that the use of angle grinders was an unanticipated method against the display cases, which were installed under a security framework dating to 2019.

A report from the Cour des Comptes, released following the robbery, highlighted that security modernization investments between 2018 and 2024 had been deprioritized in favor of visitor experience and art acquisition, with full security infrastructure upgrades not scheduled until 2032. In response to what Director des Cars called a "deafening" security lapse, the Louvre has initiated over 20 emergency measures. These include the immediate installation of anti-intrusion systems within two weeks and the deployment of approximately 100 new surveillance cameras by the end of 2026. Furthermore, the museum has posted a new security coordinator position to foster a stronger security culture following the incident, the first art theft from the Louvre since 1998.

The investigation has also established connections between some of the detained parties; for example, DNA evidence recovered from the lift basket led to the detention of a couple who share children, one of whom had already been charged last month. Prosecutor Beccuau’s office maintains that the primary objectives remain the recovery of the remaining loot and the complete dismantling of any associated criminal network.