TL;DR
- A 38-year-old woman has been charged with complicity in the Louvre jewellery heist, part of a group of seven arrested over the incident on 19 October.
- Thieves stole nine valuable items, including a sapphire diadem and emerald jewellery, worth an estimated £76 million, in under eight minutes.
- Investigations revealed vulnerabilities in the Louvre’s security, prompting concerns from law enforcement regarding ageing systems.
Woman, 38, charged in connection with Louvre jewellery heist | World News
A 38-year-old woman has been charged in connection with the Louvre jewellery heist in Paris, according to local media.
She is among a total of seven people who have been arrested over the raid, which was carried out while the world-famous museum was open to visitors on 19 October.
The woman, who has not been named but lives in a northern suburb in Paris, has been charged with complicity in organised theft and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime, according to media reports.
Four thieves stole nine items – one of which was dropped and recovered at the scene – worth an estimated £76m in less than eight minutes.
They forced open a window and cut into cases with power tools after gaining access via a vehicle-mounted mechanical lift.
On Wednesday, a prosecutor said two suspects arrested over the jewellery heist had “partially” confessed to their involvement in the heist.
They were handed preliminary charges of criminal conspiracy and theft committed by an organised gang, and remanded in custody.
Later on the same day, five more people were arrested in coordinated raids in the French capital, but searches did not lead to the stolen jewellery.
The woman appeared before a magistrate on Saturday, while one of the suspects has been released without charge, according to reports.
The heist exposed major gaps in the Louvre’s security, with Paris police chief Patrice Faure telling politicians that ageing security systems had left weak spots.
The thieves made away with a total of eight objects, including a sapphire diadem (a jewelled headband), necklace and single earring from a set linked to 19th-century queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense.
They also took an emerald necklace and earrings tied to Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife, as well as a reliquary brooch.
Empress Eugenie’s diamond diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch – an imperial ensemble of rare craftsmanship – were also stolen.
One piece – Eugenie’s emerald-set imperial crown with more than 1,300 diamonds – was later found damaged outside the museum.