In a dramatic turn of events in Paris, two individuals suspected of a daring theft valued at £76 million from the Louvre Museum have been apprehended as they attempted to flee to Africa.

The suspects, whose identities remain undisclosed, were captured a week following the audacious seven-minute burglary at one of the globe’s most renowned art venues.

Both men, in their 30s and residents of the northern suburbs of Paris, had been under law enforcement’s watchful eye due to forensic clues they inadvertently left behind during the heist.

Among the 150 pieces of evidence, their DNA was found, notably on a flatbed truck equipped with an extendable ladder, facilitating their access to a first-floor window.

When one suspect was spotted en route to Paris Charles De Gaulle airport around 10 p.m. on Saturday, intending to board a flight to Algeria, authorities decided it was time to act.

“A coordinated operation by armed officers was conducted to apprehend the suspect, who was already familiar to the police,” revealed an official.

‘This action was considered an emergency, despite hopes that the men would lead those watching them to the stolen jewels.’

The second suspect was said to be on his way to Mali, the west African country, when he too was apprehended.

French police officers stand next to a furniture elevator used by robbers to enter the Louvre Museum, on Quai Francois Mitterrand, in Paris on October 19, 2025

Investigators were seen at the Louvre after it was placed into lockdown

Neither Algeria or Mali, which are both former French colonies, have extradition treaties with their former Imperial masters.

Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor who is leading the investigation into the Louvre heist, was furious that news of the two arrests had been made public.

She said: ‘I deeply deplore the hasty disclosure of this information by informed individuals, without consideration for the investigation.

‘This revelation can only harm the investigative efforts of the hundred or so investigators involved in the search for both the stolen jewellery and all the perpetrators.’

Despite this, Laurent Nunez, France’s Interior Minister, took to X to write: ‘I extend my warmest congratulations to the investigators who have worked tirelessly as I requested and who have always had my full confidence.

‘The investigations must continue while respecting the confidentiality of the inquiry under the authority of the specialised interregional jurisdiction of Paris prosecutors. It will be with the same determination !! We keep going !!’

It is common practice for suspects to be placed under surveillance following a heist, as police hope suspects will lead them to the stolen goods.

But the French authorities confirmed that there was no sign of the so-called Louvre crown jewels.

The men were taken to the high-security headquarters of the Paris judicial police, where they were being questioned on Sunday.

Four raiders were seen at the Louvre last Sunday, and some were videoed by witnesses.

The jewellery taken included a broach containing 2348 diamonds, and a tiara with 1083 diamonds – all of it once worn by relatives of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Five security guards ran away, while police responding to an alarm arrived far too late to see the gang disappearing on two motor scooters.

It was only through luck that the villains dropped a fabulously ornate headpiece created for the Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoléon III, for the French capital’s Universal Exhibition in 1855.

The treasure was extremely badly damaged and will require months of intricate restoration.

Jewellery that was left behind by the Louvre burglars has since been transferred to the Bank of France.

The collections of the historic Apollo Gallery were deposited in the Bank’s main vault, which is buried 85feet (26m) underground, along with France’s gold reserves.

The ultra-secure space is also home to the £500million notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, who painted the Louvre’s most famous treasure – the Mona Lisa.

The Louvre welcomed nearly 9 million visitors in 2024, 80% of whom were foreigners, including hundreds of thousands of people from the UK.

Those stealing historical art pieces are often working to the orders of dealers who will be unable to sell on the black market.

Instead, the jewellery will be kept hidden and enjoyed by the master criminal who commissioned the raid.

Alternatively, criminals may chose to break the pieces up, and sell jewels and golds independently, so disguising their historic origins.