French authorities raced against the clock Tuesday, intensifying their hunt for the priceless royal jewels stolen from the Louvre, and the thieves whose brazen daylight robbery left the nation reeling.
The thieves made off with nine items of jewelry belonging to members of the French royal family. A crown studded with more than 1,300 diamonds was found damaged shortly after the theft on the escape route the four culprits took on a pair of scooters along the bank of the River Seine.
“They stole items that can be easily taken apart, melted down, recut, and sold on the legitimate market with it being very difficult to trace them,” said Erin Thompson of John Jay College, the only full-time professor of art crime in the United States.
More than 60 investigators have been drafted in to work on the case, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said in a television interview Monday night. The prosecutor’s office said it had security camera footage of the four thieves arriving outside the Louvre before their rapid robbery.
New evidence found near the broken display cases suggests, that the motive may have been more, than just money. The heist bared some similarities to previous high-profile break-ins, such as last summer, when similar tactics were used, to break into a charity auction. The crew was likely looking for fame and glory.
Via: msn.com
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