Woman Charged in $102 Million Louvre Museum Heist Breaks Down in Court as Investigation Expands

Thieves equipped with power tools executed a raid on the Louvre Museum last month. (File)

A 38-year-old woman, one of five suspects recently arrested in connection with the unprecedented Louvre jewelry heist, was charged and placed in custody on Saturday.

During her appearance in a Paris court, the woman broke down in tears, expressing concerns for "her children" and her personal safety, as reported by AFP.

She faces charges of complicity in organized theft and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime.

The magistrate ordered her detention citing potential "risk of collusion" and "disturbance of public order." The woman resides in La Courneuve, a northern suburb of Paris.

Sources close to the investigation confirmed to AFP that of the five individuals arrested this week, two were charged on Saturday, while the remaining three were released without charges.

The audacious heist occurred in broad daylight last month, with thieves using power tools to break into the world's most visited art museum. They spent just seven minutes stealing jewelry estimated to be worth $102 million.

French authorities had initially announced the arrest of two male suspects before revealing that police had apprehended five additional individuals this week.

Adrien Sorrentino, the lawyer representing the detained woman, stated that his client "vehemently" denied all accusations against her.

"She is devastated," he told reporters.

"This is a spectacular heist, and the decision that has just been made is a spectacular one: a young woman has just been placed in detention despite being presumed innocent."

One other suspect under investigation has also been placed in pre-trial detention, with a hearing postponed until Tuesday, according to one source.

Sofia Bougrine, representing one of the three released individuals, criticized what she described as the indiscriminate nature of some arrests.

"In these serious crime cases, we find that waves of arrests look more like drift nets," Bougrine told AFP.

The first two men arrested earlier were charged with theft and criminal conspiracy after "partially admitting to the charges," according to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau.

These men are believed to be the ones who broke into the gallery while two accomplices waited outside.

Both resided in Aubervilliers, a northeastern Paris suburb.

One suspect is a 34-year-old Algerian national living in France, identified through DNA evidence found on one of the getaway scooters. The second is a 39-year-old unlicensed taxi driver.

Both individuals had previous theft-related records.

The first suspect was apprehended at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport as he attempted to board a flight to Algeria.

The second was arrested near his residence shortly after, with prosecutors stating there was no evidence suggesting he planned to flee abroad.

The stolen items have not yet been recovered.

During their escape, the thieves dropped a diamond and emerald-studded crown that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III.

The burglars successfully escaped with eight other jewelry pieces.

Among the stolen items are an emerald-and-diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon I to his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem formerly owned by Empress Eugenie, featuring nearly 2,000 diamonds.

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