Articles by Mandy Taheri

Technology

Preliminary Charges Handed Down to More Suspects in Louvre Heist

Two more suspects have been hit with preliminary charges for their alleged involvement in the October Louvre heist, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a Saturday press release. Why It Matters Around 9:30 a.m., on October 19, a group of intruders took less than eight minutes to make off with eight pieces of the French crown jewels, valued at roughly $102 million. They went through a window, sliced through display cases with power tools, took the jewels and sped away on scooters along the Seine River. Police have been working to track down suspects in connection with the heist. In total, the police have arrested seven people related to the event, three of who have been released without charges. Saturday’s charges bring the total charged in the robbery to four. The heist has highlighted security concerns surrounding museums and locations that host high-value items around the world, especially as the Louvre is the world’s largest museum, and one of the most visited. What To Know The suspects were arrested on Wednesday, a week-and-a-half after the heist. Beccuau said in the press release that they were brought before judges on Saturday. Following their separate court appearances, a 37-year-old man was charged with theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy and was known to authorities due to previous thefts. The other suspect, a 38-year-old woman was charged with complicity in organized theft and criminal conspiracy. AFP reported she had children and was in tears in court. The statement also noted that the other three people who were arrested on Wednesday have been released. The two suspects arrested on Wednesday, whose names were not disclosed, remain in pre-trial detention. Both of them have denied any involvement in the Louvre robbery. Authorities previously said one of the earlier charged suspects was a 34-year-old Algerian national living in France since 2010. He was stopped by police while trying to board a flight to Algeria. The second suspect, a 39-year-old man also from Aubervilliers, was already known to police for thefts. Beccuau said earlier this week that both men who were first arrested have been charged with theft and criminal conspiracy after “partially admitting to the charges.” Surveillance footage shows at least four people were involved. Investigators believe the group arrived in a truck equipped with a freight lift, which two men used to reach the museum’s window before fleeing on scooters to eastern Paris where other vehicles were waiting. None of the stolen jewelry, or individual parts of it, have been located. Soldiers patrol in the courtyard of the Louvre museum on October 30 in Paris. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva) What People Are Saying Adrien Sorrentino, a lawyer for the woman suspect in custody, said per The Guardian: “This is a spectacular heist, and the decision that has just been made is a spectacular one: a young woman has just been placed in detention despite being presumed innocent.” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a post to X: “The theft committed at the Louvre is an attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our History. We will recover the works, and the perpetrators will be brought to justice. Everything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this, under the leadership of the Paris prosecutor’s office. The Louvre New Renaissance project, which we launched in January, provides for strengthened security. It will be the guarantor of the preservation and protection of what constitutes our memory and our culture.” French Senator Laurent Lafon, head of the Culture Committee at the Senate, said earlier this week after a Louvre visit: “We all noticed that the security equipment is not suitable for a 21st-century museum such as the Louvre. It is our flagship, it must be exemplary, and today we cannot describe the security conditions at the Louvre as exemplary.” What Happens Next? The investigation and proceedings remain ongoing, as does the search for the missing jewelry.