Two men arrested in connection with the Louvre theft two weeks ago have partially recognised their involvement in the brazen heist, according to officials.
The pair in custody are suspected of being the two who used power tools to enter the museum's Apollon gallery and steal some of the French crown jewels.
Items worth €88m (£76m; $102m) were taken from the world's most-visited museum on 19 October, when four thieves broke into the building in broad daylight.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated that the jewels had not yet been recovered, and there may be additional gang members beyond those captured on CCTV.
The two suspects, both in their thirties, have prior criminal records and were identified using DNA found during investigations, Beccuau noted.
One was apprehended while attempting to board a flight to Algeria, while the other had no plans to leave France, contrary to previous reports. Currently, no evidence indicates that the theft was an inside job.
I want to remain hopeful that [the jewels] will be found and they can be brought back to the Louvre, and more broadly to the nation, Beccuau commented.
Notably, a crown that once belonged to Empress Eugenie was dropped during the getaway, with damage still being evaluated.
On the day of the heist, robbers utilized a stolen vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to access the Galerie d'Apollon via a balcony. They used a disc cutter to break open display cases within four minutes, leaving without threatening anyone, as stated by Beccuau.
Security measures have been tightened at France’s cultural institutions following the incident, and the Louvre is relocating its most valuable pieces to a secure vault in the Bank of France.
