Khaberni - French investigations have unveiled thrilling advancements in the case of the crown jewels theft from the Louvre Museum, which was described as the "heist of the century", after it was revealed that one of the four suspects is a former Youtuber known as "Doudou Cross Bitume", famous for his motorcycle stunt videos, and previously a security guard at the Pompidou Museum in Paris.
The police arrested the suspect Abdel Laay, 39 years old, at his home in the Aubervilliers suburb north of the French capital, six days after the heist on October 19th, and the public prosecutor charged him with organized theft and criminal conspiracy.
In its report, "Le Parisien" mentioned that the suspect is a well-known figure in youth circles as "Doudou Cross Bitume" (Doudou Cross Bitume), with thousands of followers on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
He used to post stunt videos of motorcycle riding under the slogan "Always closer to the asphalt", and often appeared riding a Yamaha TMax, the same bike that was used in the escape from the museum.
Crimes and Confessions
French media revealed that the suspect has a long criminal record with 15 crimes, including drug possession and trafficking, driving without a license, endangering others' lives, as well as a conviction in a jewelry store robbery in 2014, for which he was sentenced to three years in prison.
After his release, he worked in temporary jobs, including being an unlicensed taxi driver and a security guard at major cultural institutions.
The public prosecutor in Paris, Laure Becqua, confirmed that the suspect "partially confessed" to his participation in the crime, claiming it was done "under the instructions of a group of instigators", however, the accounts from the four suspects were contradictory, as one believed the Louvre was restricted to the glass pyramid, while another assumed it was closed on Sundays.
This led the investigators to speculate the presence of an unknown mastermind behind the operation given the bizarre statements.
Password Scandal
The case also sparked a wave of criticism after media reports uncovered serious security flaws in the museum's electronic system; it was found that the operating systems used were still Windows 2000 and Server 2003, and the password to access the surveillance cameras was simply "Louvre", unchanged for years, blatantly violating cybersecurity rules.
The Bobigny court in North Paris postponed Abdel Laay's trial in a separate case related to vandalizing public property inside the prison in 2019, stating that "the significant media attention to recent events does not permit a calm session".
According to police reports, the gang of four carried out the daylight heist using a stolen truck equipped with a ladder and a cargo lift to reach a first-floor window of the Apollo Hall within the museum.
Two of them managed to break the window and two glass display cases before all four fled on their motorcycles in an operation that lasted only seven minutes.
The stolen items included eight art pieces and rare jewels, notably an emerald and diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave to his second wife Marie Louise, and a tiara adorned with 212 pearls and about two thousand diamonds that belonged to Napoleon III’s wife.
So far, authorities have not been able to recover the stolen jewels worth $102 million.
Despite the striking speed of the heist, investigators believe that the perpetrators were not as professional as initially thought.
Paris Prosecutor Laure Becqua clarified this week that the group is closer to "small-time criminals" rather than an organized crime network, confirming: "This is not your ordinary everyday misdemeanor, but at the same time, it doesn't resemble elite operations in the world of organized crime."
