On Sunday October 19th, a group of thieves broke into France’s Louvre Museum and stole about $100 million worth of the crown jewels. A group of about four men broke into the building dressed as construction workers shortly after it was opened to the public. The thieves went in on a ladder leading to a first story window and broke in using various tools which they also used to cut through the glass display cases holding the jewels. The entirety of the heist took place within just seven minutes followed by the thieves making their getaway on two scooters that were set up beforehand.
Experts display concern for the wellbeing of these priceless jewels because at any given moment they could be broken up into pieces where they will be sold. If the jewels are sold on any market in their original state, it will be very easy to spot who is selling them and where they are sold from. If the burglars stole the precious jewels with a desire to eventually sell them, they would have to break them up and remove almost any reminisce of what they used to be.
On Saturday October 25th, six days after the heist originally took place, suspects were brought into custody in connection with the crimes. It was not revealed how many people were arrested but French authorities are able to hold and question them for up to 96 hours before either putting the suspects into custody for a trial or releasing them. One suspect was trying to flee the country and travel to Algeria and the other was suspected to be fleeing to Mali. As of now, it is not clear if the jewels are returned to the Louvre. Police were able to trace DNA from a jacket and gloves left at the scene with one of the men arrested in connection to the robbery. As of October 26th, there is no clear outcome to the fate of the suspects because it is not confirmed because it is not yet said if they are the true culprits.
The whole world was aware of the heist right after it was discovered based on how quick the robbery took place. The historical and priceless value of the jewels as well as the global knowledge of the museum leads people all over the world to stay up to date with the case. French officials are still trying to discover what could have possibly gone wrong with the security of the Louvre and what allowed the thieves to get away with a crime of this scale for so long.
