Louvre thieves left 150 clues in daring break-in, investigators say

French prosecutors are hopeful about catching the thieves behind last weekend’s spectacular break-in at the Louvre museum in Paris, after investigators recovered more than 150 DNA samples, fingerprints and other clues at the scene of the heist.

“Over 150 DNA, fingerprint and other traces were secured at the scene, as well as on a helmet, angle grinders, gloves, a vest and so on, which were used and left behind by the thieves,” Paris public prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, told the Ouest-France newspaper.

“The analyses take time, even though they are a priority for the laboratories. We expect results in the next few days that may provide us with clues, especially if the perpetrators have a criminal record,” she said.

Beccuau said around 100 investigators from units combating serious crime and trafficking in cultural property are involved in the hunt for the thieves.

Investigators suspect organized crime

The Louvre was evacuated and shut down on Sunday morning after four masked thieves broke into the Apollo Gallery, home to France’s remaining crown jewels.

They broke into two display cases and made off with eight pieces of jewellery once owned by French queens and empresses, with an estimated value of €88 million ($102 million).

The method used points to organized crime, Baccau told Ouest-France, but the investigation will show whether or not that is the case.

Police reconstruct escape route

Video surveillance “made it possible to track their route” through Paris and other French departments, Beccuau told the newspaper. The process of “evaluating all the available images from public and private cameras in areas that could correspond to various escape routes” required enormous effort, she said.

“Of course, we want to find the perpetrators as quickly as possible in order to recover the jewellery before the gemstones are possibly removed and the metals melted down,” the prosecutor said.

She said investigators were looking into all hypotheses, including the possibility that the thieves had help from a museum insider. Prosecutors hope the enormous media attention surrounding the case will deter the perpetrators from trying to transport their loot.

Security guards prevented worse case

A museum employee who was on duty during the break-in told broadcaster RTL on Friday that the high number of security guards given the peak time of the break-in meant that several employees rushed to the scene.

This hastened the thieves’ escape and meant they were unable to set fire to the freight lift they had used to gain access, the employee said.

She said the response also led the perpetrators to drop some items. “Even inside the gallery, they didn’t take everything they wanted. So it could have been worse,” she added.