PARIS (AP) — Seven people have been arrested so far in the investigation into the theft of crown jewels from the Louvre Museum, but the jewels haven’t been found.
Here’s what we know about the timeline of what happened:
Oct. 10
Thieves use a false pretext to steal a basket lift from the town of Louvres, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Paris. Prosecutor Laurence Beccuau said they made an appointment with the company that owned the truck before leaving with it, using threats but no violence. The company filed a complaint. The name of the town has made many wonder whether it was a coincidence.
Oct. 19
9 a.m.: The Louvre museum opens to visitors.
9:30 a.m.: Thieves dressed like renovation workers park the truck equipped with a freight lift on the sidewalk at the foot of the Louvre, on Quai François Mitterrand alongside the Seine River. They put traffic cones around the truck to simulate a maintenance operation. Two people climb a ladder to reach a balcony and gain entry through a window.
9:34 a.m.: The two thieves enter the south end of the Apollo Gallery. An alarm is triggered at the security control room. A staff member in the room makes a radio call to command center members to alert them to the intruders.
9:35 a.m.: Robbers use disc cutters to neatly cut the glass of two display cases and take the jewels. Security officers make visitors evacuate, in line with requirements that focus on crowd safety. The museum manager calls the nearby police station to report a theft in progress and asks for immediate help.
9:36 a.m.: A team leader at the command center activates a special button linked to Paris police headquarters.
9:37 a.m.: A message is sent to staff to request that all the museum’s doors be closed.
9:38 a.m.: The thieves leave via the same window and flee eastward with two other people waiting for them on two scooters, according to the prosecutor. They leave behind a yellow vest similar to those often worn by construction workers and other equipment, including a disc cutter. Culture Minister Rachida Dati said that security officers on site prevented one thief from setting fire to the truck with the freight lift.
10:34 a.m.: Dati announces on social media that “a robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum.”
Later that day: The emerald-set imperial crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie, containing more than 1,300 diamonds, is found outside the museum. The thieves left with eight other objects of inestimable historic value.
Oct. 22
The museum reopens. Beccuau, the prosecutor, says that about 100 investigators are working on the case, in addition to forensics experts who are analyzing surveillance footage and 150 samples taken from the basket lift, inside the museum and on items found.
Oct. 25
Investigators from a special police unit in charge of armed robberies, serious burglaries and art thefts arrest two men in the Seine-Saint-Denis region north of Paris. One was preparing to leave the country from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Oct. 26
Beccuau announces the arrests.
Oct. 29
The two suspects are handed preliminary charges of criminal conspiracy and theft committed by an organized gang, and ordered held in custody pending further investigation. The prosecutor says they partially admitted involvement in the theft, and appeals for anyone who has the jewels to return them.
Oct. 30
The prosecutor announces five more arrests overnight, including one person believed to be part of the four-person team at the Louvre the day of the theft.
