Louvre heist: Suspects to be charged after 'partially' confessing to robbery as prosecutors hunt for stolen jewels

Jewels stolen from the Louvre museum in a brazen heist have not yet been found, the Paris prosecutor says, adding that two suspects arrested on the weekend have partially recognised their involvement in the robbery and will be charged with theft and criminal conspiracy.

Four hooded thieves made off with the jewels after breaking into the Louvre on the morning of October 19, exposing security lapses at the world’s most-visited museum.

The two detained men, both in their 30s and with criminal records, were arrested on Saturday.

One of them was attempting to board a flight to Algeria.

There was no evidence to suggest at this point that the robbery was an inside job, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told a news conference.

“I want to remain hopeful that (the jewels) will be found and they can be brought back to the Louvre, and more broadly to the nation,” Ms Beccuau said.

Earlier on Wednesday, French police acknowledged major gaps in the Louvre’s defences.

Paris Police Chief Patrice Faure told senators that aging systems and slow-moving fixes left weak seams in the museum.

“A technological step has not been taken,” he said, noting parts of the video network are still analogue, producing lower-quality images that are slow to share in real time.

Mr Faure also disclosed that the Louvre’s authorisation to operate its security cameras quietly expired in July and was not renewed - a paperwork lapse that some see as a symbol of broader negligence.

“Officers arrived extremely fast,” Mr Faure said but he added the lag occurred earlier in the chain - from first detection, to museum security, to the emergency line, to police command.

Mr Faure and his team said the first alert to police came not from the Louvre’s alarms but from a cyclist outside who dialled the emergency line after seeing helmeted men with a basket lift.

The theft has also exposed an insurance blind spot: officials say the jewels were not privately insured.

The French state self-insures its museums because premiums for covering priceless heritage are astronomically high - meaning the Louvre will receive no payout for the loss.

The financial blow, like the cultural wound, is total.

The thieves stole eight precious pieces worth an estimated $US102 million ($A154 million) from the Louvre’s collection on October 19, exposing security lapses as they broke into the museum using a crane to smash an upstairs window during opening hours.

They escaped on motorbikes.

The museum’s cameras failed to detect the intruders in time to prevent the robbery, which took between six to seven minutes and was carried out by four people who were unarmed but who threatened the guards with angle grinders.

Security shortcomings at the Louvre forced the museum to transfer some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France under secret police escort, according to French radio RTL.

with AP