Two of the suspects in the Louvre heist had previous theft convictions and worked on the same job in 2015, prosecutors said Sunday.
Investigators believe they have three of the four break-in suspects in custody, along with the romantic partner of one of the thieves.
The stunning daytime heist appears to be the work of local petty thieves rather than Ocean’s Eleven style professionals, Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said.
“This is not quite everyday delinquency… but it is a type of delinquency that we do not generally associate with the upper echelons of organized crime,” Beccuau said Sunday during a French radio interview.
The three male suspects — aged 39, 37 and 34 — are all charged with theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy. The female suspect, a 38-year-old woman, is the romantic partner of the 37-year-old suspect and was charged with complicity, police said.
The 37-year-old suspect has 10 prior theft convictions, Beccuau said. One of them was a 2015 caper in which the 39-year-old suspect was also convicted, according to investigators.
Three people who were detained late last week in connection with the case have been released without charges, Beccuau said.
Police said they are not much closer to finding the stolen jewels, valued at $102 million.
“I have great confidence in the work of the police, so I’m optimistic. But my optimism doesn’t extend to thinking that the loot will be recovered quickly,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.
One person in the four-man break-in crew remains at-large, along with additional possible conspirators, authorities said. The first two suspects, who were captured one week after the shocking heist, “partially” admitted their culpability in police interviews, prosecutors said.
With News Wire Services
