Visitors throng the Louvre after royal jewels go missing

Dubai: Visitors streamed back to the Louvre Museum on Sunday, exactly a week after an audacious daytime robbery that stunned France and the world. French police have now arrested two men suspected of taking part in the heist, in which thieves made off with eight priceless French crown jewels.

The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrests, saying both suspects — men in their thirties known to police for prior burglaries — were taken into custody after a week-long search. One suspect was intercepted at Roissy–Charles de Gaulle Airport, allegedly preparing to flee France, while the other was detained northeast of Paris.

The meticulously planned operation unfolded in just seven minutes at around 9:30 a.m. last Sunday. Four men used a furniture lift to reach a first-floor window of the museum’s Apollon Gallery, threatened guards, and smashed open two display cases.

The gang escaped with jewels valued at roughly €88 million ($102 million), including diamond tiaras, sapphire and emerald necklaces, and earrings once belonging to Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, Empress Eugénie, and Marie-Louise. A crown encrusted with more than 1,000 diamonds was dropped during the escape, providing vital DNA evidence that helped trace the suspects.

Authorities believe the robbers may have acted on behalf of international art traffickers or private collectors. The two men can be held for up to 96 hours as investigations continue, with more arrests expected.

While the Louvre reopened to steady crowds this weekend, the theft has reignited a fierce debate over museum security and state oversight of France’s national treasures — a heist that may yet have more twists ahead.