Overview
- A 37-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman were placed under formal investigation, charged with organized theft and complicity, and remanded in custody after denying involvement.
- The prosecutor says the pair are partners with children from La Courneuve, with “significant” DNA tying the man to the basket lift and possible transfer cited for traces attributed to the woman.
- Four suspects are now charged and seven people have been arrested overall, with three released without charge as the inquiry proceeds under judicial secrecy and partly closed hearings.
- Two earlier suspects—a 34-year-old Algerian stopped at Charles de Gaulle and a 39-year-old unlicensed taxi driver from Aubervilliers—face theft and conspiracy counts after partial admissions and DNA links to a scooter and display items.
- Investigators say a four-person team used a truck-mounted lift and power tools to seize eight Napoleonic-era pieces in under seven minutes; a damaged Empress Eugénie crown was recovered but the rest remain missing, prompting a government security review of the Louvre.