French detectives investigating the robbery of the Louvre Museum have uncovered evidence pointing to an inside job, The Telegraph reported on Saturday, citing sources close to the investigation.
Last week, four masked men with a chainsaw broke into the iconic Paris museum, making off with eight pieces of France’s crown jewels worth about $102 million.
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According to The Telegraph, investigators discovered messages and recordings showing that the museum’s employees had been in contact with suspected gang members before the raid.
“We have found digital forensic evidence that shows there was cooperation with one of the museum’s security guards and the thieves,” a source told the paper.
“Sensitive information was passed on about the museum’s security, which is how they were aware of the breach.”
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The burglars are believed to have used a crane to reach a balcony and smash a window of the Galerie d’Apollon, which was open to visitors at the time. The entire operation lasted just seven minutes, with the robbers escaping down the furniture elevator before speeding away on motorbikes.
Investigators have collected more than 150 DNA samples from helmets, gloves, and tools left at the scene.
Louvre director Laurence des Cars told a French Senate committee that a camera near the break-in site was “pointing in the wrong direction,” describing the theft as a “terrible failure.”
The museum has since transferred several of its most valuable jewels to the Bank of France for safekeeping.
On Sunday, two suspects were reportedly arrested near Paris, one of them at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Algeria. An AP source said those detained were men in their 30s, adding that one of them was identified through DNA traces.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed the arrests but condemned the media leaks, saying they could “hinder the efforts of the 100 investigators mobilized.”
There was no indication on Sunday that any of France’s stolen crown jewels have been recovered.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez congratulated the police on their progress, adding that the investigation must continue “in accordance with judicial secrecy.”
With additional input by GVS US and Intl desk