2 suspects arrested in Louvre jewel heist

French authorities have detained two of the suspected robbers believed to have stolen precious crown jewels from the Louvre in a museum heist that stunned the world, officials said Sunday.

A swarm of investigators had been mobilised to track down the thieves who robbed the famous museum in broad daylight on October 19, making off with jewellery worth an estimated $102 million in just a few minutes.

The two suspects were known to the police for committing thefts, a source close the case said, adding that they were in their thirties and from Seine-Saint-Denis, a region just outside Paris.

The same source said one of the men had been arrested at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport where he was about to board a plane for Algeria.

The two men were taken into custody on suspicion of organised theft and criminal conspiracy. They could be held up to 96 hours.

After media reports of the detentions, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said authorities had “carried out arrests on Saturday evening.”