One is an Algerian man who had booked a one-way ticket back to his home country. He was arrested at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport on Saturday.
The other is a French national who had already been sentenced for theft in 2008 and 2014 and is set to be tried in November in a third case. He was arrested at home, Beccuau said.
Formal charges are expected to be unveiled later Wednesday, a justice ministry official said. They could be charged with organized theft, a crime which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Beccuau said investigators had confirmed that at least four perpetrators had taken part in the scheme, but that more participants may be involved, including the possibility that crime took place at a buyer’s behest.
She added that the stolen jewelry had not yet been retrieved, but that she “wanted to remain hopeful that they will be found.”
The brazen daylight robbery at the world’s most-visited museum drew global attention and quickly turned political in France, with strong reactions notably from far-right politicians. The president of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, Jordan Bardella, called the incident a “humiliation” and the result of a “breakdown of the state.”
