Five more suspects have been arrested over their involvement in the Louvre heist, Paris' public prosecutor has said.
They were detained on Wednesday night in the Paris region during coordinated raids, according to Laure Beccuau.
One of the suspects is believed to be part of the four-man team that carried out the heist, who were seen on CCTV. Two of the other alleged thieves have already been arrested and have partially recognised their involvement in the brazen theft, while the fourth person has not yet been caught.
It is unclear what role the other newly arrested individuals played in the theft, but Beccuau indicated that they might provide valuable information regarding the incident.
Beccuau stated that the arrests were made in areas in and around Paris, including the suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, and that the authorities have acquired phones and other items from the suspects which could yield encrypted messages.
Those arrested can be detained for up to four days before being charged or released.
The initial two suspects, both men in their thirties with previous criminal records, were said to have used power tools to gain entry into the museum's Galerie d'Apollon (Gallery of Apollo). One was arrested while attempting to board a flight to Algeria, while the other was not planning to leave France.
On October 19, four thieves broke into the museum in broad daylight, stealing items valued at €88 million and managing to escape within a matter of minutes. The stolen jewelry includes precious crowns and other royal accessories.
Following the theft, security measures have been tightened around cultural institutions in France, and the Louvre has moved some of its most valuable items to a secure vault in the Bank of France.
