Overview
- Police detained one man at Charles de Gaulle airport as he prepared to fly to Algiers and arrested a second in Aubervilliers who was reportedly planning to flee toward Mali.
- Roughly 150 DNA and fingerprint samples taken from items left behind—such as a motorcycle helmet, yellow vest, oxy-fuel torch, grinders, fuel canisters and a walkie-talkie—were matched against police databases.
- The suspects, men in their 30s from Seine-Saint-Denis known to law enforcement for jewel crimes, are held on suspicion of aggravated theft and criminal association.
- Prosecutor Laure Beccuau criticized leaks about the arrests and said details will be limited until the end of the 96-hour custody period as the search continues for two other perpetrators and the missing jewels.
- Investigators are examining possible organized-crime links and potential inside complicity, while the Louvre has moved select high-value pieces to the Banque de France vault as a security precaution.