Petty criminals — not pros — executed Louvre heist: French prosecutor

Two of the male suspects were known to the police before the robbery and had multiple theft convictions.

Petty criminals executed the French crown jewel Louvre heist, not an organized crime ring, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said, adding yet another twist to the shocking case.

“This is not quite everyday delinquency … but it is a type of delinquency that we do not generally associate with the upper echelons of organized crime,” Beccuau told Franceinfo radio on Sunday.

The four suspects charged so far in connection with the theft were all living in Seine-Saint-Denis, a working-class neighbourhood north of Paris, and are “clearly local people,” she said.

Two of the male suspects were known to the police before the robbery and had multiple theft convictions.

One of the men is a 37-year-old with 1o prior robbery convictions.

Beccuau said he has “a varied criminal record but not one which would normally suggest involvement with organized crime.” Another suspect has two prior robbery convictions, she added.

The two men were convicted for their involvement in the same robbery in Paris in 2015, she said.

On Saturday, a 38-year-old woman was charged with complicity in organized theft and criminal conspiracy with the intent to commit a crime.