Louvre heist probe widens as Paris police arrest four more suspects, including two women

As the investigations into the $102-million Louvre heist progressed, police on Tuesday arrested four more people, including two women.

The development comes weeks after a prosecutor revealed that motocross legend and bodybuilder Abdoulaye N was among the suspects in the $102-million heist at the world's renowned and most-visited art museum.

Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, whose office is heading the investigation, said that two men and two women between the ages of 31 and 40 are in custody, and they are from the Paris region.

However, the identity and role of arrested suspects in October 19 theft has not yet been revealed.

So far, no trace has been found of the stolen jewels.

On October 29 and November 1, four other people were already arrested and placed under formal investigation.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that motocross legend and bodybuilder, Abdoulaye N, was among the suspect arrested. He was arrested from his home in Aubervilliers six days after the robbery.

Abdoulaye N, who rose to prominence through YouTube and Dailymotion videos and has now made a presence on TikTok, faces preliminary charges of theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy. He is believed to be one of the two thieves who broke into the Apollo Gallery with power tools.

Louvre director Laurence des Cars has said that new surveillance cameras and anti-intrusion systems will soon be installed.

She described the systems as equipment that will prevent intruders from getting close to the museum buildings but did not offer specifics.

How did the robbery take place?

The robbery took place within a span of seven minutes. The thieves had parked a truck with a ladder below the museum's Apollo Gallery. Later, they broke the window and used angle grinders to cut into the glass display to steal the jewels.

What was stolen from the Louvre museum?

Among the jewellery items that have gone missing include an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his second wife. The thieves drop a diamond- and emerald-studded crown that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.