One of the suspects arrested after an audacious jewel heist at the Louvre last month has been released without charge, his lawyers say.
Seven suspects in total were detained in connection with the robbery, and several of them appeared before magistrates at a Paris court earlier on Saturday.
Five of those suspects were arrested earlier this week, including the man who ended up being released, his lawyers Sofia Bougrine and Noemie Gorin said.
Five new arrests over Louvre robbery
“In these serious crime cases, we find that waves of arrests look more like drift nets,” Ms Bougrine said, pointing to what she claimed was the indiscriminate nature of the arrests.
Another of those five suspects, a 38-year-old woman, was among those who appeared before a magistrate on Saturday.
The suspect, who lives in the northern Paris suburb of La Courneuve, has been charged with being complicit in organised theft and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime.
Daring daytime heist captivated world
Last month, on October 19, thieves wielding power tools raided the Louvre, the world’s most visited art museum, in broad daylight, taking just seven minutes to steal jewellery worth an estimated $US102 million ($156 million).
Four men parked a truck with a moving lift under one of the gallery’s windows during opening hours, before using cutting gear to break into a first-floor gallery.
French authorities initially announced the arrest of two men, who were charged with theft and criminal conspiracy after “partially admitting to the charges”, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said on Wednesday.
They are suspected of being the two who broke into the gallery while two accomplices waited outside.
The stolen loot remains missing.
Two men were charged with theft and criminal conspiracy after “partially admitting to the charges”, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said. (Reuters: Abdul Saboor)
‘Anti-ramming’ devices to protect the Lourvre
France’s culture minister said on Friday that anti-ramming devices would be set up around the Louvre by the end of the year, after the heist reignited debate over its security.
Culture Minister Rachida Dati, speaking after reading an initial report on the museum’s security systems, said that urgent measures were needed to address the situation.
“For more than 20 years, there has been a chronic underestimation of intrusion and theft risks,” Ms Dati told broadcaster TF1.
“We can’t continue like this.”
The report cited inadequate security equipment and “completely obsolete” intrusion-response protocols, she added.
Louvre jewel heist silver lining?
Last week, the Louvre’s director Laurence des Cars said security cameras did not adequately cover the thieves’ point of entry, with the only camera installed facing away from the balcony by which they entered.
Ms Dati said the museum’s internal security systems worked on the day of the theft, but also warned of “major security flaws” outside the building.
To address some of the shortcomings, “anti-ramming” and “anti-intrusion” devices were to be installed “before the end of the year”, she said.
Ms des Cars said last week that the first of several “anti-ramming” barriers was being installed outside the museum.
Among the missing pieces are an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem that once belonged to the Empress Eugenie, which is dotted with nearly 2,000 diamonds.
AFP
