Four more arrested in connection with Louvre heist, Paris prosecutor says

Four more people were arrested Tuesday in connection with the Oct. 19 heist at the Louvre Museum, Paris prosecutors announced.

All four — two men, aged 38 and 39, and two women, 31 and 40 — are from the Paris region, Laure Beccuau, a prosecutor for the city, said in a statement.

With the new arrests, a total of eight people are now facing charges in connection with the case. Three men and one woman had already been charged with organized theft and criminal conspiracy to commit crimes and offenses, according to the statement.

Last month, the group allegedly duped security systems and used power tools in broad daylight to steal millions in jewelry from the famed Paris museum. They ultimately made off with invaluable jewels once worn by France’s queens and empresses, officials told NBC News.

The Ministry of Culture confirmed the jewels stolen included a necklace and a pair of earrings from the Marie-Louise collection; a necklace, earrings and a tiara from from the Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense collection; and a brooch, bodice bow and a tiara from the collection of Empress Eugénie.

The stolen jewels are worth an estimated $102 million and have yet to be turned over to Parisian officials.

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At least two of the stolen items, including Empress Eugénie’s crown, were apparently dropped on the way out, part of a trail of clues to the group suspected in the theft.

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The thieves, whom French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called "experienced," used power tools, including a disc cutter, to break into the Galerie d’Apollon through a window, the prosecutor’s office said. A crane lift mounted on a truck was outside of the window and was brought in to aid in the heist, which took place at 9:30 a.m., as the museum was opening.

The heist took only about seven minutes and prompted the museum to close for the day — a rarity, officials said.

Prior to the heist, the Louvre was urged by a French court of auditors to speed up the modernization of its security systems. The process has been delayed, and was expected to be completed by 2032, according to a report.