The suspects were arrested for the jewelry theft at the Louvre, just as one of them was preparing to leave France, the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday.
Two men in their 30s, originally from the Seine-Saint-Denis suburbs of the capital, which include some of the poorest areas in the country, were arrested on Saturday evening, according to Le Parisien, which first reported the news.
They were already known to French police, and one of the suspects was about to fly to Algeria from Charles de Gaulle Airport, the newspaper said.
On Sunday, there was still no indication that any of the stolen royal French jewels had been found.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau did not say how many people were arrested and did not provide further details about them. In a statement, she expressed regret that information about the arrests had been made public.
“This disclosure can only hinder the investigative efforts of around 100 mobilized investigators, both in the search for the stolen jewelry and for all the perpetrators. It is far too early to provide any specific details,” Beccuau stated.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, under public pressure to show results one week after the heist, congratulated investigators in a post on X, but did not share more information.
Four thieves escaped with eight valuable pieces worth around 102 million dollars from the Louvre collection on October 19, exposing security shortcomings in the world’s most-visited museum.
They forced their way in, using a crane to break a window on the upper floor during opening hours, and fled on motorcycles.
News of the theft echoed worldwide, sparking reflection in France about what some considered a national humiliation.
