France charges 4th suspect in Louvre jewel heist

ISTANBUL

The fourth and reported final suspect in October’s high-profile jewel heist at the Louvre was charged on Friday by the investigating judges in Paris.

The 38-year-old man, already known to police and taken into custody on Tuesday, has been charged with theft as part of an organized group and with criminal conspiracy aimed at preparing a crime, broadcaster BFMTV reported.

With the suspect facing 15 years in prison for the first charge and 10 years for the second, pretrial detention has been requested.

The Paris public prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, also announced on Tuesday the arrest of three other people: a 39-year-old man and two women ages 31 and 40. All three were released from police custody on Thursday.

French investigators continue to search for the stolen jewels and are working to identify any individuals who may have ordered or financed the theft, which made headlines worldwide.

On Oct. 19, a group of thieves parked a stolen truck outside the Louvre Museum, used a furniture lift to reach the first floor, and broke into one of the museum’s most ornate rooms.

Within minutes, they fled on scooters with royal jewels, including an emerald and diamond necklace once given by Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife, Austria’s Marie-Louise, and a diadem belonging to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.