Louvre Heist Suspect Identified as social Media User and Former Museum Employee
Paris – The suspect in the recent Louvre Museum art theft has been identified as Abdoulaye N., a man with a prior criminal record and a presence on social media, according to reports from Le Parisien and other French media outlets. He is also reported to have previously worked as a security guard at the Pompidou Centre art museum.
Abdoulaye N. has “partially admitted” involvement in the heist, according to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, though he has revealed little to police. He has 15 prior offences on his record, including drug possession, driving without a license, endangering others, and a 2014 conviction for robbing a jewellery store. Another suspect arrested in connection with the Louvre case was also convicted in the same 2014 robbery.
Neighbours described Abdoulaye N. to Le Parisien as “helpful”,”decent” and a man “who wears his heart on his sleeve”.
Beccuau noted that the suspects’ profiles “do not correspond with those one generally associates” with elegant organised crime, leading to speculation of a possible unkown mastermind.
Abdoulaye N. was originally scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday for minor charges related to damage caused to a prison cell in 2019 during a separate theft investigation, which was later dropped. He previously held employment with logistics firm UPS and toy retailer Toys R Us.
