Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Suspects Say Louvre ‘Mastermind’ Was Displeased as Parking‑lot Footage Fails to Solve €88m Jewel Theft

Published judge transcripts and surveillance images raise new questions about who received the loot while the jewels remain untraced.

Overview

  • On October 19, 2025, thieves used a hired lift to reach the Galerie d'Apollon, smashed display cases and stole eight pieces of French crown jewels worth about €88 million.
  • Two men identified in reporting as Abdoulaye N. and Ghelamallah A. were arrested a week later and have been held in pretrial detention on organised‑gang robbery charges.
  • Transcripts of June questioning, published by Le Monde, show the suspects say they were recruited days earlier by an unnamed sponsor, shown an inside video of the gallery, and promised €15,000–€25,000.
  • Investigators recovered low‑quality parking‑lot footage that appears to show a handoff in Aubervilliers but say they have found no definitive digital or physical links to others and the jewels’ current location is unknown.
  • The case has left open two main theories—an outside buyer network or hidden local stash—and prompted legal action, the Louvre director’s resignation and tightened museum security with transfers of high‑value items to the Bank of France.