The noose is tightening around the perpetrators of the spectacular heist that took place on the morning of October 19 at the Louvre Museum, when two men stormed into the Apollo Gallery and stole jewels of inestimable value. Within four days, seven people have been arrested.

According to Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, two men were arrested last Saturday as they are considered the main perpetrators of the burglary. One was caught at Roissy Airport while attempting to board a flight to Algeria, and the other was apprehended near his home. The suspects, aged 34 and 39, reside in Aubervilliers, in the Seine-Saint-Denis district.

The first, of Algerian descent and unemployed, told police he had previously worked as a cleaner and delivery driver. He is known for traffic violations and has already been convicted of theft. The second, who was working illegally as a taxi driver, has a heavier criminal record, including convictions for aggravated theft. At the time of his arrest, he was under judicial supervision for another case and is due to stand trial in November.

According to French media, the two men were identified through DNA evidence, though, as the prosecutor noted, they offered “minimal explanations” about their roles in the heist. Despite their criminal pasts, authorities believe they are not part of a high-level organized crime network. After four days in custody, they were formally charged with “theft by an organized gang” and “forming a criminal association,” and were remanded in custody Wednesday night.

That same evening, the investigation made further progress with five additional arrests, bringing the total number of suspects to seven. One of them is believed to be one of the two motorcyclists involved in the robbery, while the others are thought to be part of his close circle. The arrests took place in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, while a fifth suspect was located in Seine-Saint-Denis. All are currently being questioned.

The prosecutor declined to disclose further details about their identities but noted that “they may provide information about the sequence of events, even if they were not directly involved in the burglary.”

Despite repeated searches and overnight raids between Wednesday and Thursday, the stolen jewels remain missing. Authorities continue to hunt for the fourth perpetrator as well as the suspected mastermind behind the Louvre heist.