A THIRD suspect has been arrested in connection with the Louvre heist in Paris, according to French media reports.
French cops said the man is suspected of being present on the crime scene when the heist took place.
It comes after another two suspects were charged with stealing £76million worth of jewels from the Louvre – after they “partially confessed” to their crimes.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the detainees faced up to 15 years in prison after being charged with “organised robbery in a gang”.
The two men were arrested on Saturday night – with one of them cuffed at Charles de Gaulle airport carrying a “one-way ticket to Algeria”.
The other was reportedly also planning to leave France and had plotted to flee to Mali.
Neither of them was identified, but authorities said they would both be held on remand until trial after “partially admitting their involvement in the crimes to detectives”.
On October 19, thugs with chainsaws scaled the side of the world’s most visited gallery before opening a window to enter and steal the precious jewels – all in just seven minutes.
The thieves wheeled a furniture lift to the museum and rode the basket up the facade to break the gilded Galerie d’Apollon, where the jewels were kept in cases.
Over the course of just seven minutes, the thieves grabbed nine glittering pieces from the Napoleon and Empress Joséphine collection – but dropped one as they tore off.
They then spirited away on motorbikes through central Paris.
The thugs managed to get away with priceless pieces, including a tiara, necklaces and brooches that once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte’s family.
But it may have taken more than pure genius and a stroke of sheer luck to carry out a heist that is now at the centre of the world’s attention.
Investigators believe the brazen Louvre heist was an inside job.
Paris police have now said they found digital forensic evidence that a member from the museum’s security team was in touch with the thugs.
A source told The Telegraph: “We have found digital forensic evidence that shows there was cooperation with one of the museum’s security guards and the thieves.
“Sensitive information was passed on about the museum’s security, which is how they were aware of the breach.”
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