The investigation into the spectacular Louvre Museum jewel heist continues to widen as five more suspects were arrested Wednesday in Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburb north of Paris, according to Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau.
The arrests bring the total number of detainees to seven in connection with the October 19 theft, which saw nine priceless royal jewels stolen from the museum’s Galerie d’Apollon.
Beccuau confirmed on French radio station RTL that one of the newly arrested suspects could be a “major person of interest” after DNA evidence was recovered from a helmet left at the crime scene. “The jewels remain missing,” Beccuau said, adding that investigators are intensifying efforts to recover the pieces before they are lost or dismantled.
Suspects Identified Through DNA and Surveillance
According to ABC News, French police identified one of the suspects after matching trace DNA from the crime scene to a known criminal. That discovery allowed authorities to place him under both phone and physical surveillance before the arrests were made.
