Suspects in €88m Louvre jewel heist say unknown mastermind wanted more

Two men charged with stealing €88m worth of crown jewels from the Louvre have told investigators the burglary was directed by a mysterious mastermind who complained the haul was too small. Abdoulaye N and Ghelamallah A shared these details during questioning by investigating judges last month.

The pair allegedly stole eight pieces of jewelry, including tiaras and necklaces containing more than 8,700 precious stones. They accessed a first-floor balcony using a furniture lift, smashed a window in the Apollo gallery, and used a power cutter to reach the royal artifacts. During their escape, they dropped a gem-encrusted crown belonging to Empress Eugénie.

Abdoulaye N, a 40-year-old former motorbike stunt rider known as Doudou Cross Bitume, said the instructions were simple: "Break the windows and grab the jewelry inside the display cases." However, the unnamed client was unsatisfied with the results. "The mastermind was not happy. He thought we could have taken more. We lost time getting in through the window," Abdoulaye N said.

The unrecovered €88m haul represents a record loss for a French cultural institution and a significant payout for the insurers covering the museum's collections. For Europe's high-end asset and art market, the breach highlights the persistent security challenges facing galleries that hold billions in publicly displayed wealth across major tourist capitals.

The suspects claim they were low-level operatives. Ghelamallah A, a 36-year-old unemployed Algerian man, stated he was told the target was "a jewelry store where they make jewelry in Paris," claiming he would have "never set foot there" had he known it was the Louvre. Abdoulaye N, who worked as an unlicensed taxi driver, said he was recruited for his athletic background and promised up to €20,000 depending on the take.

The operation was constrained by a strict three-minute window. "If we stayed more than three minutes, we knew we had to leave or we'd get caught. For me, what we did took too long," Abdoulaye N said. Both suspects have refused to identify the alleged mastermind or accomplices due to fears of reprisals, and investigators have not yet confirmed whether the pair were acting on anyone else's behalf.