MxM News

French authorities have arrested two men accused of involvement in the recent heist at the Louvre Museum that stunned Paris last week. One of the suspects was caught Saturday night at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he tried to board a flight to Algeria, French outlet Le Parisien reported. Both men, described as being in their 30s and from Seine-Saint-Denis — a crime-ridden suburb north of Paris — were taken into custody on charges of “organized gang robbery” and “conspiracy to commit a crime.” Two other members of the crew remain on the run.

Authorities say the arrests followed a tip that one suspect was attempting to flee the country. Police intercepted him at the airport, while a second man was tracked down hours later in Paris. Investigators have yet to recover any of the stolen Crown Jewels. The four-man gang — clad in yellow vests and motorcycle helmets — used a cherry picker to scale the walls of the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery before smashing glass displays with chainsaws in front of stunned onlookers. The entire operation reportedly took less than four minutes.

The thieves made off with eight pieces from France’s historic Crown Jewels collection, including a sapphire diadem, necklace, and earring linked to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense. Among the most valuable items taken were Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and a massive diamond-and-emerald corsage brooch. One piece — Eugénie’s emerald-set imperial crown with over 1,300 diamonds — was later found outside the museum, damaged but recoverable. The crew abandoned and torched the cherry picker before escaping on scooters.

Forensic teams have since gathered more than 150 DNA, fingerprint, and hair samples from the scene and other sites across Paris. One key piece of evidence — hair found in a motorcycle helmet — is believed to belong to the first thief who entered the museum. Investigators suspect the men were experienced criminals hired to carry out the robbery for a private buyer.

The suspects are being held at Paris police headquarters, where they can be detained for up to 96 hours before charges are formally filed. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez praised police for their swift action, writing on X: “I extend my warmest congratulations to the investigators who have worked tirelessly as I requested and who have always had my full confidence… We keep going!!”

In the wake of the heist, France’s government has ramped up security at major cultural sites. The remaining Crown Jewels have been moved to an ultra-secure vault at the Bank of France. A forthcoming audit by France’s Court of Auditors reportedly found that the Louvre’s video surveillance systems were woefully outdated — with security spending in 2024 lower than two decades earlier.

Paris prosecutors, however, criticized the media for leaking details about the arrests. “This revelation can only hinder the investigative efforts of the 100 or so mobilised investigators… It is too early to provide any specific details,” said prosecutor Laure Beccuau.

“French-crown-jewels” byMichael Reeve licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED.

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Anthony Iafrate

President Donald Trump announced Saturday he is increasing U.S. tariffs on Canada by 10%, after the leader of the country’s largest province said he would be pulling an anti-tariff ad — but not until after it could air during Game 2 of the World Series.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated Friday his government plans to pull the ad in question after Trump said he was ending trade negotiations with Canada the night before. The spot featured the voice of President Ronald Reagan appearing to sharply criticize “high tariffs” and “protectionist” policy, and used an edited form of remarks the then-president made in an 1987 radio address.

In announcing his intention to pull the ad — which was intentionally broadcast on major networks in American markets — Ford noted he “directed” his team to keep it live until after the second game of baseball’s Fall Classic on Saturday night, a move Trump initially called a “dirty play.” The ad also ran Friday night during Game 1.

Trump then declared Saturday he was going forward with a 10% tariff increase on Canada.

“Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” Trump wrote in a Saturday afternoon Truth Social post. “Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now.”

“Canada was caught, red handed, putting up a fraudulent advertisement on Ronald Reagan’s Speech on Tariffs. The Reagan Foundation said that they, ‘created an ad campaign using selective audio and video of President Ronald Reagan. The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address,’ and ‘did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute is reviewing its legal options in this matter,’” Trump added in his post, citing an organization dedicated to continuing the late 40th president’s legacy.

“The sole purpose of this FRAUD was Canada’s hope that the United States Supreme Court will come to their ‘rescue’ on Tariffs that they have used for years to hurt the United States,” Trump’s post continues. “Now the United States is able to defend itself against high and overbearing Canadian Tariffs (and those from the rest of the World as well!). Ronald Reagan LOVED Tariffs for purposes of National Security and the Economy, but Canada said he didn’t!”

The ad campaign carried a price tag of $75 million CAD (Canadian), roughly equivalent to $54 million, according to The Associated Press (AP). The taxpayer-funded ad was paid for by Ontario’s provincial government, which the premier leads.

“We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels,” Ford said in a Friday statement reported by AP announcing his plan to pull the ad after Game 2. “Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses.”

“I’ve directed my team to keep putting our message in front of Americans over the weekend so that we can air our commercial during the first two World Series games,” the Ontario premier added.

Trump announced Thursday night on Truth Social he was ending trade negotiations with Canada due to the ad.

“Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” the president wrote in the post.

“TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A.,” he added [sic].

“High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. Then the worst happens. Markets shrink and collapse,” Reagan’s edited radio message can be heard in the ad, which included a backdrop of mellow music and a video montage of people and landscapes. “Businesses and industries shut down and millions of people lose their jobs. Throughout the world, there’s a growing realization that the way to prosperity for all nations is rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition.”

“America’s job and growth are at stake,” Reagan can be seen delivering the ad’s final line on a TV screen before the words “Ontario” and “Canada” flash on the screen.

The 2025 World Series features the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Blue Jays are the only Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Canada despite having only one Canadian-born player on its 26-man World Series roster.

Ford, a member of the center-right Progressive Conservative Party has led Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, since 2018. His late younger brother, Rob Ford, served as Toronto’s mayor from 2010 to 2014. The younger Ford made national headlines in 2013 after admitting to having smoked crack cocaine “in a drunken stupor.”

Premier Ford’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s (DCNF) request for comment. The White House did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.