Four suspects are now in custody in connection with the spectacular theft at the Louvre Museum on October 19, after two additional arrests were made on Wednesday evening. The latest suspects were formally charged and placed in provisional detention on Saturday, bringing the total number of individuals in custody to four as dozens of investigators continue working on the high-profile case.

The newest suspects include a 37-year-old man believed to be one of the four members of the commando team that stole the crown jewels, and his 38-year-old female partner, according to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau. Two other men from Aubervilliers in Seine-Saint-Denis, aged 34 and 39, are also suspected of being part of the robbery team. They were arrested on October 25 - one at Charles de Gaulle Airport while attempting to flee to Algeria, and the other in Aubervilliers - and were formally charged and imprisoned on Wednesday.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told Le Parisien that "there are four perpetrators, at least one more remains to be found, plus probably the mastermind or masterminds." Speaking on France Info on Sunday, prosecutor Beccuau also mentioned possible additional accomplices, referencing the use of "relay vehicles." However, she emphasized that nothing at this stage suggests any complicity within the Louvre itself.

Regarding admissions of guilt, the two men from Aubervilliers "made declarations" that were considered "minimalist compared to what appears to be demonstrated by the case file," according to Beccuau. They are charged with organized gang theft (carrying up to 15 years imprisonment) and criminal association in preparation for organized gang theft (carrying up to 10 years), along with the 37-year-old man. His female partner is suspected of complicity in organized gang theft and criminal association.

The couple, who "have children together," has "contested any involvement," Beccuau stated. The man "refused to make any statement," the prosecutor specified on France Info. The couple was arrested following the discovery of their DNA in the gondola of the freight elevator used during the burglary. While the man's DNA traces "are significant," investigators are questioning whether the woman's DNA might be "transfer DNA" - meaning "deposited on someone or an object that was then redeposited in the gondola." "All of this deserves to be investigated," Beccuau emphasized.

Concerning the men from Aubervilliers, who are suspected of being those who entered the Apollo Gallery, the Algerian national was identified through DNA found on one of the scooters used for the escape, while the second man's DNA was discovered on one of the broken display cases and objects abandoned at the Louvre.

The profiles of the charged suspects reveal varied backgrounds. Among the men from Aubervilliers, the 34-year-old had no recent employment but had previously worked as a garbage collector or delivery driver. The second is a 39-year-old illegal taxi driver who is known for aggravated theft and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday in Bobigny for damaging a mirror in a police station while in custody. The male partner's criminal record shows "mention of 11 convictions, including about ten already for significant theft offenses," Beccuau indicated.

During a hearing before the liberty and detention judge that AFP was partially able to attend on Saturday, his female partner, a resident of La Courneuve in Seine-Saint-Denis, was in tears, saying she was "afraid" for her children and herself. One of the men from Aubervilliers and the 37-year-old man charged on Saturday "were involved in the same theft case for which they were convicted in 2015 in Paris," the prosecutor highlighted.

The profiles don't correspond to those "that we generally associate with the top tier of organized crime," Beccuau noted, while emphasizing that "today, we have profiles not well-known in organized crime who rise quite quickly to extremely serious offenses."

Despite extensive searches, the stolen crown jewels remain missing. The various raids "did not allow us to recover" the jewelry, the prosecutor emphasized. Minister Nunez, who expressed confidence that they could be recovered, mentioned the existence of several hypotheses, "including that they may already be sold abroad." According to the prosecutor, the Central Office for Combating Cultural Property Trafficking is examining all "parallel markets" for resale.

Among the hypotheses being considered, she mentioned that the jewels could be "laundering merchandise, or even negotiation currency in the organized crime world" as "exchange currency." The investigation continues as authorities work to locate both the remaining suspects and the priceless stolen artifacts from France's crown jewel collection.