Overview
- One suspect was stopped at Roissy–Charles de Gaulle as he sought to fly to Algeria and a second was detained in Seine‑Saint‑Denis, with both men in their 30s known to police for prior thefts.
- Specialized units BRB and OCBC lead a large probe that gathered more than 150 DNA, fingerprint and trace samples, while public and private CCTV helped map the escape route.
- The thieves took eight crown jewels in under eight minutes using a lifting platform and power tools; an imperial crown linked to Empress Eugénie was later found damaged but recoverable.
- The remaining seven pieces have not been located, and authorities warn they may have been dismantled or moved abroad, complicating identification and recovery.
- Security gaps exposed by the heist prompted an internal review and the transfer of high‑value objects to the Bank of France, as investigators examine possible organized‑crime involvement and potential insider help and the prosecutor criticizes premature media leaks.