France has charged the fourth alleged member of a four-person gang arrested over last month’s jewel heist at the Louvre, officials said.

Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, whose office is heading the investigation, on Friday said the 39-year-old man has a criminal record, with six previous convictions.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

On October 19, the gang raided the world’s most-visited art museum in broad daylight, taking just seven minutes to steal jewellery worth an estimated $102m before fleeing on scooters.

“Already convicted six times, this man was known to courts for various offences, such as pimping, driving without a licence, and receiving stolen goods,” Beccuau said in a statement.

The prosecutor’s statement did not say what role, exactly, the man is thought to have played in the heist.

The four suspects believed to have carried out the robbery have now been arrested and charged. They have been charged with organised theft and criminal conspiracy. The stolen jewellery is still missing.

The last suspected member of the gang was arrested on Tuesday at a construction site in the western French town of Laval, according to a source close to the case.

The other suspects already in detention – men aged 35, 37 and 39 – are suspected of having been part of the four-person team, two of whom entered the Apollo Gallery, while the other two remained outside, before fleeing together.

A 38-year-old woman, who is the partner of one of the men, is suspected of complicity. She has been released on bail.

The robbery has focused attention on security at the Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum.

Advertisement

The thieves took less than eight minutes to force their way into the museum and leave, using a freight lift to reach the building’s window. Footage from museum cameras showed that the two who broke into the ornate Apollo Gallery used grinders to cut open jewellery display cases.

The emerald-set imperial crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenie, containing more than 1,300 diamonds, was later found outside the museum.