Two new suspects handed preliminary charges in Louvre jewels heist case, Paris prosecutor says

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PARIS (AP) — The Paris prosecutor said Saturday two new suspects were handed preliminary charges for their alleged involvement in the crown jewels heist at the Louvre museum, three days after they were arrested by police as part of the sweeping investigation.

Laure Beccuau, the prosecutor, said a 37-year-old suspect was charged with theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy. He was known to authorities for previous thefts, the statement said.

The other suspect, a 38-year-old woman, was accused of being an accomplice. They were both incarcerated.

They both denied involvement, the prosecutor said.

The lawyer for the woman, Adrien Sorrentino, told reporters his client is “devastated" because she disputes the accusations.

"She does not understand how she is implicated in any of the elements she is accused of," he said.

Officials said the jewels stolen in the Oct. 19 heist have not been recovered — a trove valued around $102 million that includes a diamond-and-emerald necklace Napoleon gave to Empress Marie-Louise as a wedding gift, jewels tied to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and Empress Eugénie’s pearl-and-diamond tiara.

Five people were arrested by police on Wednesday in connection with the case, including one tied to the heist by DNA. That person is suspected of belonging to the team of four who used a freight lift truck to enter the Louvre. The prosecutor did not specify whether the person was among those charged on Saturday.

The three others have been released without charges, Beccuau said.

Two earlier suspects, men aged 34 and 39 from Aubervilliers, north of Paris, were charged this week with theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy.

Beccuau said both gave “minimalist” statements and “partially admitted” their involvement. The two are believed to be the men who forced their way into the Apollo Gallery. One was stopped at Charles-de-Gaulle Airport with a one-way ticket to Algeria; his DNA matched a scooter used in the getaway.

Neither names nor extensive biographical details about the suspects have been made public.

Information about investigations is meant to be secret under French law, to avoid compromising police work and to ensure victims’ right to privacy, a policy known as “secret d’instruction.″ Only the prosecutor can speak publicly about developments, and violators can be prosecuted.

Earlier this week, Beccuau praised an “exceptional mobilization” — about 100 investigators seven days a week, with roughly 150 forensic samples analyzed and 189 items sealed as evidence.

It took robbers less than 8 minutes to steal the jewels. The team of four used a freight lift, allowing two of them to force a window and cut into two display cases with disc cutters, before the four fled on two scooters toward eastern Paris. Only the “near-simultaneous” arrival of police and museum security stopped the thieves from torching the lift and destroying crucial evidence, the prosecutor said.

Investigators said there is no sign of insider help for now, though they are not ruling out a wider network beyond the four on camera.

In a separate case, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said six people were arrested on Thursday soon after a robbery at a gold refining laboratory in the city of Lyon during which thieves used explosives. The loot, which was estimated to be worth 12 million euros ($13.9 million) has been recovered, Nuñez said on X.