Two men accused of stealing €88m (£75m) worth of crown jewels from the Louvre in Paris last October have reportedly told investigators that the mastermind behind the operation was dissatisfied with the results. According to transcripts from questioning by two investigating judges, the suspects, identified locally as Abdoulaye N and Ghelamallah A, claimed the organizer felt they "could have taken more" during the heist.
The robbery, which occurred in October 2025, made international headlines and eventually prompted the resignation of the museum’s director. The suspects stated they were acting on orders from a client whose identity they have refused to disclose, citing fears for their families. During the break-in at the museum's Apollo gallery, the pair successfully seized eight items, including necklaces, earrings, a brooch, and tiaras. However, they accidentally dropped a 19th-century gem-encrusted crown worn by Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III, while attempting to flee. Abdoulaye N admitted to the mishap, telling judges, "Yes, it was me, it fell out of my bag." Upon being shown a photograph of the damaged artifact, he acknowledged, "What we did wasn’t right, it’s very serious."
The duo explained that they had been recruited only two or three days prior to the incident, provided with a video of the gallery to familiarize themselves with the Napoleonic displays. Abdoulaye N, a former minor social media star, stated he was in financial distress and was promised between €15,000 and €20,000 for the job. He claimed the client’s primary motivation was the resale of the stolen goods. Ghelamallah A, who negotiated a fee of €20,000 to €25,000, insisted he was misled about the target, having been told it was a jewelry store rather than the world’s most visited museum, adding, "I would never have set foot there if I had known."
The burglars accessed the first floor via a furniture lift and broke through an Apollo Gallery window. Inside, they worked under significant time pressure, cutting through display cases while observing security personnel in the distance. "If we take more than three minutes, we know we have to leave, otherwise we’ll be reported," Abdoulaye N noted. Despite their cooperation with authorities, the suspects remain tight-lipped regarding the mastermind’s identity, fearing retaliation. Both men reported receiving calls while in detention warning them to remain silent. Investigators have yet to officially confirm that the men were acting on behalf of a third party.
The French newspaper Le Monde cited transcripts of the alleged thieves’ questioning last month by two investigating judges in charge of the inquiry, offering detailed insights into the burglary that made global headlines and led the museum’s director to resign.
