Louvre Heist Suspect, Trying To Fly To Algeria, Was Caught At Paris Airport

Two suspects, who were arrested in connection with the theft of precious crown jewels from the iconic Louvre Museum in Paris, are originally from the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb - which includes some of France's most deprived areas. According to officials, one of the suspects was detained around 10 pm (2000 GMT) on Saturday at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport as he was about to board a plane to Algeria. The other suspect was arrested not long after in the Paris region.

While one of the suspects is a French national, another holds both French and Algerian citizenship, reported local media.

The two are reportedly in their 30s and were known to the French police.

The brazen heist at the Louvre, which is home to masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, took place on October 19. The thieves broke into the museum using a crane to smash an upstairs window during opening hours and stole eight pieces of jewellery worth an estimated $102 million from the Galerie d'Apollon, or Apollo Gallery - all in nearly seven minutes. They then escaped on motorbikes, prompting a massive search across France.

Days after the incident, a video showed one of the thieves cutting through a glass display case as visitors walked by. Another clip showed two robbers, dressed in construction gear, using a hydraulic lift to escape after the heist.

According to the French culture ministry, a tiara and brooch that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, an emerald necklace and earrings of Empress Marie Louise, a tiara, necklace, and single earring from the sapphire set earlier owned by Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense, and a brooch known as the "reliquary brooch".

Authorities said about 100 investigators are working on the case, in addition to forensics experts who are analysing surveillance footage and 150 samples taken from the basket lift, inside the museum and on items found.