Last month's jewellery heist at the Louvre museum was carried out by petty criminals rather than organised crime professionals, Paris's prosecutor has said.
Laure Beccuau told franceinfo radio, This is not quite everyday delinquency... but it is a type of delinquency that we do not generally associate with the upper echelons of organised crime. She explained that the four people arrested in connection with the shocking theft were clearly local people from Seine-Saint-Denis, a poor area just north of Paris.
On October 19, jewels valued at €88 million (£76 million; $102 million) were stolen from the Louvre, the world's most-visited museum. In an interview, Beccuau stated that the four individuals arrested — three men and a woman — are known to the region.
Two male suspects are known to have multiple prior theft convictions, while a 38-year-old woman was charged with complicity in organised theft. The suspects have denied participation in the crime.
Investigators believe that four thieves executed the daylight heist and one remains at large. The suspects gained entry using a stolen vehicle-mounted lift to reach the Galerie d'Apollon and used a disc cutter to access the display cases. They were inside for only four minutes and escaped on scooters.
Since the heist, security at French cultural institutions has been tightened, with the Louvre moving valuable items to the Bank of France for safekeeping.
