SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
In Paris, a breakthrough. One week after four masked men made off with more than $100 million worth of precious heirlooms from the Louvre, police say they've made arrests. Joining me from Paris with the latest is NPR's Rebecca Rosman. Hi, Rebecca.
REBECCA ROSMAN, BYLINE: Hi.
PFEIFFER: Would you first, for us, recap the details of the heist?
ROSMAN: Sure. So it all started shortly after the museum opened last Sunday. Four masked men dressed as maintenance workers used a special electrically powered ladder that was mounted to a truck to hoist themselves up to a second-floor balcony, and that's where they broke into the Louvre's Apollo Gallery. Two of the thieves kept watch while the other two smashed into display cases, grabbing nine pieces of imperial-era jewelry, heirlooms, you know, tiaras, brooches, necklaces and earrings. They then used that very same ladder to bring themselves back down to ground level, jumped onto scooters they had parked nearby and sped off to the nearest highway.
All this was done so hastily, though, that they actually dropped one of the stolen items during their getaway. That was a gold and diamond-encrusted crown. The whole thing took less than seven minutes, and officials immediately said that this was the work of professionals, likely an organized criminal network.
PFEIFFER: And they may not get away with it because some people have been arrested. So what do we know about the people in detention?
ROSMAN: That's right. Several French papers are reporting that police arrested two suspects last night, both men in their 30s, from the Paris region. Each of them had prior robbery convictions. One of them was reportedly stopped at Charles de Gaulle Airport here in Paris as he tried to board a flight to Algeria. The prosecutor's office, though, would only confirm that there were multiple arrests. They haven't said how many people were detained, and they're not sharing further details, in part because they say these leaks could hinder the ongoing investigation.
PFEIFFER: What's the likelihood that those stolen jewels will ever be seen again?
ROSMAN: So we don't know that much so far about the missing items. Authorities haven't said where they might be or whether these arrests led to any kind of recovery of these items. Now that the suspects are in custody, investigators have up to 96 hours to question them before deciding on charges. So we may get more information soon. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau says she will issue another statement once the suspects' detention is up.
It's possible the thieves have already melted down that gold and silver, though, and removed the gemstones to sell them off separately. In the meantime, forensic teams have collected more than 150 DNA samples from the scene, fingerprints and other traces on items the thieves left behind, including a helmet. Those clues, together with last night's arrest, are being described as major breakthroughs.
PFEIFFER: And, Rebecca, where you are in France, what has the reaction to this been?
ROSMAN: So I'd say it's three phases. First, there was shock, then there was anger. And now people are taking a much more lighthearted approach to the whole thing. It's kind of become the latest viral meme. People are even turning it into a Halloween costume. You know, just grab some leather gloves, a mask, some costume jewelry and there you have it. You also have brands poking fun at the heist. The company behind the very special mobile ladder the thieves used posted a photo of said ladder on social media on Friday with the slogan, if you're in a hurry.
PFEIFFER: You know, it feels almost inappropriate to laugh, but that is very funny.
ROSMAN: It is. They knew how to seize the moment there.
(LAUGHTER)
ROSMAN: So I'd say, you know, there's been a lot of relief here in Paris today from this latest announcement about these arrests. But there's still a lot of questions for the museum's security, or lack thereof. We discovered this week that there was no camera overlooking that second-floor balcony where the thieves entered the Apollo Gallery. That's something investigators say that the group likely knew, and all this has forced the museum's director to concede that the heist was, quote, "not inevitable."
PFEIFFER: Not inevitable - sounds like they're saying it could have been avoided. We look forward to learning more about that as this investigation goes on. That's Rebecca Rosman reporting from Paris. Thank you.
ROSMAN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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