Overview
- Prosecutors say the men have acknowledged limited involvement and face preliminary charges of organized theft and criminal conspiracy.
- The suspects, ages 34 and 39, were held for 96 hours, with one intercepted at Charles-de-Gaulle before a flight to Algeria.
- Investigators tied them to the scene through DNA recovered from a scooter and a broken display window after analyzing more than 150 samples.
- The missing trove is valued at €88 million, and experts warn the jewels may be dismantled to erase provenance.
- Officials acknowledge aging surveillance and an expired camera authorization at the museum, and the state would absorb the loss because national museums are self‑insured.