Hunt on for remaining Louvre thieves after first arrests made

The hunt continues for the thieves still on the run after the first suspects in the Louvre heist were arrested by French police.

Two suspects with a history of jewel thefts had been tracked for days after their DNA was recovered from the museum and were arrested on Sunday shortly before one of them was set to board a flight out of the country.

The breakthrough came a week after the robbers broke into the Galerie d’Apollon, threatening guards and drilling into display cases before escaping on scooters with eight of France’s crown jewels worth an estimated US$102 million.

A major police operation has been underway to track down the thieves, who were captured on camera fleeing the scene. But there was still no sign of the jewels themselves.

Police said DNA samples discovered at the crime scene helped identify the suspects.

They left gloves, a walkie-talkie, a vest, and a can of gasoline.

The two arrested suspects were both men in their 30s, who had prior convictions and were known to police having previously targeted jewelry stores.

Source : NBC News