On October 19, 2025, a daring raid on the Louvre’s Galerie d’Apollon resulted in a €88 million jewel heist, the most valuable theft in French history. After months of silence, the two primary suspects—Abdoulaye N., 40, a former internet stunt‑video star known as “Doudou Cross Bitume,” and Ghelamallah A., 36, an unemployed Algerian—spoke openly during extensive interrogations on June 2 and June 22, as reported by Le Monde.

Planning the Inside Job

Both men claim they were recruited only two to three days before the raid and shown a video of the royal jewelry collection displayed inside the Louvre’s famed gallery. Their brief was simple: smash the glass, cut the cases, and walk out with as many gems as possible. Abdoulaye took control of a boom lift, wearing a high‑visibility vest, while Ghelamallah prepared a power cutter.

A Ten‑Minute Operation

On the morning of the heist, the duo coordinated in Aubervilliers before heading to the museum. “I extended the arm under the balcony. There were two people below—me and Ghelamallah were above,” Abdoulaye recounted. Inside, the museum was dark except for the illuminated display cases. Ghelamallah’s slower pace frustrated Abdoulaye, who eventually helped smash the case. “If we stayed more than three minutes, we knew we had to leave or we’d get caught,” he said.

The Loot and an Abandoned Crown

The thieves seized eight pieces—tiaras, a brooch, necklaces and earrings—once owned by French queens and empresses, collectively valued at €88 million. During their escape, the crown of Empress Eugénie slipped from Abdoulaye’s bag and was later found near the Louvre. To destroy evidence, they doused the bucket truck with gasoline and fled on scooters, using a white Citroën Berlingo as a relay vehicle to confuse investigators.

Handing Over to the Mastermind

According to Abdoulaye, the jewels were delivered to the mastermind in an underground parking lot in Aubervilliers, where police lost the physical trail. Surveillance footage captured him handling the loot an hour after the theft. “The mastermind was not happy. He thought we could have taken more,” Abdoulaye said, adding that other accomplices were waiting to take charge of the jewels.

Both suspects refused to name the mastermind, citing fear of retaliation. Investigators remain divided: one theory suggests the mastermind never existed and the jewels are still hidden; another posits the loot was passed to accomplices for rapid overseas sale. If the latter is true, the crown jewels may have been dismantled, with sapphires, diamonds and emeralds recut and sold individually.

Abdoulaye concluded, “I admit my involvement, accept the consequences and regret it. The rest is beyond me.”