What to know about the Louvre heist investigation

Nicolas Vaux-montagny And Sam Metz, The Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — More than 100 investigators are racing to piece together how thieves pulled off the brazen heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris, working to recover the stolen gems and bring those responsible to justice.

The daytime theft of centuries-old jewels from the world’s most-visited museum, thought to be of significant cultural and monetary value, has captured the world’s attention for its audacity and movie plot-like details.

Two suspects are in custody, but thus far, little has been revealed about how the investigation is unfolding, a source of frustration for those accustomed to the 24-hour flow of information in American true crime or British tabloids.

Suspects, like the jewels themselves, have remained out of sight, the case file cloaked in mystery and French authorities characteristically discreet.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that more details would come once the suspects’ custody period ends, expected midweek.

But here’s what we know so far about the case:

What investigators want to know

Authorities said it took mere minutes for thieves to ride a lift up the side of the museum, smash display cases and steal eight objects worth an estimated 88 million euros ($102 million) on Oct. 19. The haul included a sapphire diadem, necklace and an earring from a set linked to 19th-century queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense.

Beccuau said an investigation was opened into potential charges of criminal conspiracy and organized theft, which can carry hefty fines and yearslong prison sentences.

How France handles arrests

Beccuau said investigators made arrests Saturday evening but didn’t name them or say how many. One suspect, she added, was stopped at a Paris airport while trying to leave the country.

In France, where privacy laws are strict, images of criminal suspects are not made public as they often are elsewhere. Suspects aren’t paraded before cameras upon arrest or shown in mug shots.

James Whitman, a Yale Law School professor of comparative and foreign law, said the French are often startled by how openly criminal suspects are treated in the United States. Both countries technically protect the presumption of innocence but France takes the principle further.

“In France, naming suspects in the press is regarded as a violation of the presumption of innocence,” Whitman said.

Such was the case in 2011 when media outlets photographed Dominique Strauss-Kahn, then head of the International Monetary Fund and a contender for France’s presidency, on a “perp walk” to a New York jail after he was indicted on charges he sexually assaulted a hotel maid. The charges were eventually dismissed.

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.

Police and investigators are not supposed to divulge information about arrests or suspects without the prosecutor’s approval, though in high-profile cases, police union officials have leaked partial details. Beccuau on Saturday rued the leak of information about the ongoing investigation.

A police official, who spoke anonymously as he was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing case, told The Associated Press that two men in their 30s, both known to police, were taken into custody. He said one suspect was arrested as he attempted to board a plane bound for Algeria.

Prosecutors said last week that the two thieves who entered the museum were assisted by two others, who waited outside before fleeing along the Seine, adding that additional arrests may follow as the investigation continues.

Inside the investigation

The more than 100 investigators that Beccuau said are assigned to the case are combing through 150 DNA samples, surveillance footage and evidence left behind in the thieves’ wake.

Those assigned include the Brigade for the Repression of Banditry — the special police unit in charge of armed robberies, serious burglaries and art thefts — and the Central Office for the Fight Against Trafficking in Cultural Goods.

Recovering the jewels could be among the most difficult parts of investigators’ work. French authorities have added the jewels to Interpol’s Stolen Works of Art Database, a global repository of about 57,000 missing cultural items.

Interpol, the world’s largest international police network, does not issue arrest warrants. But if authorities worry a suspect may flee, Interpol can circulate the information using a color-coded notice system.

The French investigators can also work with European authorities if required. They can turn to the European Union’s judicial cooperation agency, Eurojust, or its law enforcement agency, Europol. Eurojust works through judicial cooperation between prosecutors and magistrates, while Europol works with police agencies.

Both can help facilitate investigations and arrests throughout the 27-member bloc. Requests for help must come from the national authorities, and neither organization can initiate an investigation.

What happens next?

Beccuau said more details would be released once the suspects’ time in custody expires. Suspects investigated for criminal conspiracy can be held for up to 96 hours before charges are filed. In such high-profile cases, the prosecutor often gives a press conference to announce charges.

But don’t expect a flood of updates.

Information about suspects is not routinely published in France while an investigation is ongoing. Trials are open to the public but are not televised, and no one is allowed to film or photograph anything inside the courtroom during a trial.

____

Metz reported from Rabat, Morocco. Molly Quell in The Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.

Learn more about our News Monitoring here.