French authorities have arrested several suspects in connection with the theft of crown jewels worth an estimated $102 million from Paris’ Louvre museum, prosecutors confirmed on Sunday.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the arrests were made on Saturday evening, adding that one suspect was detained at Paris’ Roissy Airport while attempting to leave the country. She did not confirm how many people were in custody or whether any of the stolen jewels had been recovered.

French media outlets BFM TV and Le Parisien earlier reported that two suspects had been arrested. Beccuau said the operation was led by a special police unit specializing in armed robberies, major burglaries, and art thefts, and involved more than 100 investigators.

She also criticized the early leak of information to the press, warning that it could “hinder the work” of investigators still trying to locate all the stolen items and apprehend additional suspects.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez praised the police for their swift action, saying they had “worked tirelessly” in response to the high-profile heist.

The theft occurred last Sunday morning at the museum’s gilded Apollo Gallery, home to the Crown Diamonds collection. In less than eight minutes, thieves reportedly used a basket lift to scale the Louvre’s façade, cut through a window, and smash display cases before fleeing with eight priceless 19th-century jewels.

Among the stolen items were a sapphire diadem, necklace and earring once linked to queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense; an emerald necklace and earrings from Empress Marie-Louise’s collection; a reliquary brooch; and Empress Eugénie’s diadem and diamond-studded corsage bow brooch.

One piece, Eugénie’s emerald-set imperial crown, adorned with more than 1,300 diamonds, was later found outside the museum; damaged but recoverable.

The museum’s director has described the incident as a “terrible failure,” amid questions over possible lapses in security, including whether cameras malfunctioned during the break-in.

The French Ministry of Culture confirmed that the jewels were not privately insured, noting that national museums like the Louvre are legally prohibited from insuring their collections except when items are loaned to other institutions.

Experts noted that while the artifacts are priceless historically, they could still fetch millions if dismantled and sold on the black market.

Further details about the arrests and ongoing investigation are expected once the suspects’ custody period ends, prosecutors said.