Suspects in Louvre Heist Say They Were Recruited by a ‘Mastermind’ Who Wasn’t Pleased With Their Efforts
2July 15, 2026
The two principal suspects in the spectacularly disruptive, broad-daylight jewel heist that took place at theLouvrein October of 2025 claimed in statements to judiciary authorities—perLe Monde, which just published a report on the transcripts—that a “mysterious mastermind,” who they refuse to name, orchestrated the theft.
Taxi driver and former motorcycle stuntman Abdoulaye N. and Ghelamallah A., the two suspects, said that they were hired only a few days before the theft was planned to take place, and that their imperative was to “break windows and retrieve jewelry from inside the display cases,” per Abdoulaye N.
Abdoulaye N., who told investigators he was in “dire financial straits,” claimed that he was offered between 15,000 and 20,000 euros to complete the theft. Ultimately, the four thieves who participated in the jewel heist made off with eight items. These included a diamond brooch that belonged to Empress Eugénie of France, a sapphire necklace worn by Hortense de Beauharnais, the stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte, and an emerald necklace set with over 1,000 diamonds that Napoleon gave to his second wife, Marie Louise. The items snatched in the heist were collectively valued at a record €88 million.
Abdoulaye N. admitted to authorities that it was he who had dropped a 19th-century crown owned by Empress Eugénie near the museum. Authorities discovered the crown, which consisted of 1,354 diamonds, 1,136 rose-cut diamonds and 56 emeralds, broken near the museum shortly following the heist.
While Abdoulaye N. said that he was aware that he was going to rob the Louvre, Ghelamallah A. claimed the opposite, saying that the target was represented to him as “a jewelry store where they make jewelry in Paris… I would never have set foot there if I had known.”
Both Abdoulaye N. and Ghelamallah A. claimed that the mysterious mastermind who recruited them for their tasks himself directly participated in the heist, and the suspects have refused to name their sponsor due to fear of retribution. “I can’t say his name, there will be repercussions, I don’t want my family to be targeted,” Abdoulaye N. said. “I don’t know if I’ll still be able to live in France [if I denounce him].”
Additionally, “the person who ordered the theft wasn’t happy,” Abdoulaye N. said. “He thought we could have taken more. We had wasted time coming back in through the window.” According to Le Monde, investigators looking into the theft are not fully convinced that the mastermind described by the suspects actually exists; however, they haven’t yet ruled out the possibility.