Police detain 5 more suspects in Louvre heist, but jewels are still missing

Police have arrested five more suspects linked to the theft of treasures worth $143 million Cdn from the Louvre museum's Apollo gallery, the Paris prosecutor said on Thursday, expressing hope the latest developments will help them find the jewels.

Four hooded thieves made off with their booty during opening hours on the morning of Oct. 19, exposing security lapses at the world's most-visited museum in a brazen daylight heist that sent shockwaves around the world and prompted soul-searching in France over what some viewed as a national humiliation.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told radio station RTL on Thursday the latest suspects had been arrested in co-ordinated raids in Paris and its northern suburbs on Wednesday evening.

One of them was identified through DNA traces left at the crime scene, but it was not clear if all were suspected of direct involvement.

The investigation was gaining momentum after phones and other objects found on the suspects allowed investigators to study encrypted communications they made, she added.

WATCH | What we know about the brazen heist:The Louvre is now the site of what some are calling the heist of the decade. Andrew Chang breaks down how France's crown jewels were stolen, and why the pieces may be impossible to recover. Plus, how China won the rare earths race against the U.S.

Suspects investigated for criminal conspiracy in France can be held for up to 96 hours before charges are filed.

Information about suspects is not routinely published in France while an investigation is ongoing, but in high-profile cases, the prosecutor is allowed to reveal more about the investigation and to give news conferences to announce charges.

Prosecutor makes plea concerning jewels

Beccuau said a police unit specialized in the trafficking of cultural objects was scouring the black market to locate the stolen artifacts. She said the jewels could be used as a means to launder money or as a bargaining chip in organized crime circles.

Finding the jewels will be harder than finding the thieves, art crime experts have cautioned.

The plunder included royal necklaces, tiaras and earrings — artifacts that may now be difficult to sell. Alternatively, their jewels, including thousands of diamonds, rubies and emeralds, could be broken up and the stones recut, the gold melted down, in a bid to disguise their provenance.

WATCH | A look at some of the missing jewels, necklaces:Two suspects arrested over the theft of France’s crown jewels from the Louvre museum have partially admitted their involvement, Paris officials say. Investigators continue to search for the missing jewels and are reviewing the museum’s security system.

Beccuau sought to encourage those in possession of the treasures to surrender them.

"I want to make it very clear to those who are in possession of them today that the courts would obviously take into account the fact that no loss was caused by this burglary," she said.

The museum's cameras failed to detect the intrusion swiftly enough to prevent the robbery, which took between six and seven minutes. The shortcomings forced the museum to transfer some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France under secret police escort for safekeeping, according to RTL.

Previously arrested suspect reportedly tried to flee country

Four people carried out the robbery, but Beccuau has said she did not rule out the possible involvement of a wider network, including a person who could have ordered the theft and been the mastermind behind it.

Shortly before the latest arrests were made, Beccuau revealed that two other men detained over the weekend in connection with the heist had "partially admitted" their involvement in the robbery. One of the pair had been trying to fly out of France when detained.

One of them, a 34-year-old unemployed Algerian national living in France since 2010, was detained by police as he tried to board a flight to Algeria.

"At that point, we obviously had to speed up the arrest operations," Beccuau told RTL.

The other man, 39, was already under judicial supervision in an aggravated theft case, Beccuau said. Both live in Aubervilliers, a low-income neighbourhood in northern Paris.