The crew of chainsaw-wielding thieves who openly robbed The Louvre of priceless jewels within the highest-profile museum theft in dwelling reminiscence might have been employed by a collector, officers mentioned.
Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau mentioned authorities are investigating whether or not the heist was commissioned by a collector.
“We’re trying on the speculation of organized crime,” she advised BFM TV, including that it may very well be professionals engaged on spec for a purchaser.
If a collector was behind Sunday’s daring raid, there may be not less than a superb likelihood that the stolen items would nonetheless be in a superb state as soon as they’re tracked down and retrieved, Beccuau mentioned.
The jewels is also used to launder income from different felony enterprises, in response to the prosecutor.
“These days, something may be linked to drug trafficking, given the numerous sums of cash obtained from drug trafficking,” she mentioned.
Investigators had been preserving all leads open however international interference had been largely dominated out within the case, Beccuau insisted.
France’s Inside Minister Laurent Nunez mentioned the probe had been entrusted to a specialised police unit that has a excessive success charge in cracking high-profile robberies.
The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, mentioned it will stay closed on Monday after Sunday’s hit — which took only a matter of minutes.
Masked thieves disguised as development staff robbed the Paris museum Sunday morning in entrance of tourists and staff.
The trio reportedly used a basket carry to rise up to a second-floor window and used mini gas-powered chainsaws to interrupt in, threatening a safety guard within the course of, Le Parisien reported.
Surprising footage from contained in the Louvre exhibits one of many criminals in a inexperienced reflective vest calmly chopping by means of a glass case surrounding one of many focused gadgets as guests watched.
Two of the robbers had been seen nonchalantly smashed show instances containing French Crown Jewels price an “incalculable” sum of money, officers mentioned.
A complete of 9 objects had been focused by the criminals, eight of which had been truly stolen. The thieves misplaced the ninth one, the crown of Napoleon III’s spouse, Empress Eugenie, throughout their escape.
“It’s price a number of tens of thousands and thousands of euros — simply this crown. And it’s not, in my view, a very powerful merchandise,” Drouot public sale home President Alexandre Giquello advised Reuters.
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