2 suspects in Louvre robbery brought before judge for formal charges

Two suspects in last month's brazen daylight robbery of Paris' Louvre Museum are being brought before a judge to face formal charges, French media reported on Saturday.

BFMTV said that several other people who had been detained have since been released.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced on Thursday that five new arrests had been made in connection with the case.

However, the jewels stolen on Oct. 19 — estimated to be worth €88 million ($102.3 million) — remain missing.

Two initial arrests took place on Oct. 25.

The two men, age 34 and 39, have been charged and remanded in custody since Wednesday on charges of organized robbery and conspiracy to commit a crime.

They are suspected of being the ones who entered the museum to steal the jewelry and have "partially admitted to the facts," according to the prosecutor.

A total of eight items were stolen. They include a necklace and an earring from the Marie-Louise collection, as well as a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a tiara from the Marie-Amelie and Hortense collections.

Authorities said "two brooches, one of which is described as a reliquary brooch, a bodice bow, (plus) a tiara from Empress Eugenie's collection," were also taken.

The investigation into the high-profile theft — one of the most audacious art crimes in recent French history — is continuing.