According to the prosecutor's office, the arrests were made on Saturday evening, but the number of detainees has not been specified. Sources in the police reported that one of the suspects was attempting to leave the country for Algeria, while the other was heading to Mali.
On Sunday, the police reported that DNA collected at the crime scene helped identify one of the suspects. The bandits left behind several pieces of evidence, including gloves and a reflective jacket.
It is reported that the thieves, one of whom was among those who dropped the crown of Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, broke into the museum around 09:30 (08:30 GMT), shortly after it opened to visitors. They used a mechanical lift to access the Apollo Gallery through a balcony located near the Seine River.
Photos from the scene show that they cut through a window with power tools. Under the threat of the guards, they smashed the glass of two display cases containing jewelry and were in the museum for only four minutes before escaping on two scooters waiting for them outside.
Preliminary data indicates that in every third room of the museum that was searched, there were no surveillance cameras, which drew criticism from the Paris prosecutor, who noted the "premature disclosure" of information in the case, complicating the return of the stolen valuables.
The museum director reported that the only camera monitoring the external perimeter in the area was facing the wrong way, allowing the criminals to carry out the theft without hindrance. According to him, the surveillance systems were outdated, making it difficult to detect the criminals.
Arthur Brand, a detective specializing in art crimes, told the BBC that gold and silver can be melted down, and gemstones can be broken into smaller pieces, making them virtually impossible to track.
After the incident, security measures in cultural institutions in France were significantly strengthened. In connection with the robbery, the Louvre transferred some of its most valuable exhibits to the Bank of France, where they will be stored in a special vault 26 meters underground in the center of Paris.
