Louvre heist suspect’s trial in a separate case postponed due to high media profile
By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press BOBIGNY France AP A French court on Wednesday postponed the trial of a suspect in the Louvre jewels heist in a different event due to media attention and other issues that may impede the fairness of the proceedings Related Articles Beacon of hope Ugandans find inspiration in Mamdani s win and ask if they can do the same Israel returns bodies of Palestinians to Gaza as exchanges outlined in fragile ceasefire proceed Currently in History November Susan B Anthony defies law and casts vote for president Trump administration announces th deadly strike on an alleged drug boat Boeing may face its first civil trial over payouts to families of casualties in Ethiopia crash A court in Bobigny north of Paris noted the suspect s trial on charges of damaging constituents property will take place in April His four lawyers reported the highly publicized Louvre robbery did not allow them to properly prepare for the trial Maxime Cavaill one of the lawyers explained reporters We ll be extremely vigilant about several points first of all the respect of the presumption of innocence and the respect of judicial proceedings Cavaill announced the lawyers will make sure the privacy of their client is respected despite the extraordinary nature of the Louvre incident They declined to provide further details The prosecutor agreed the episode must be judged in serene conditions that were not met Wednesday due to mediatization and up-to-date events The -year-old man is suspected of emerging into the Louvre and stealing the -million worth Crown Jewels He was arrested at his home in Aubervilliers a suburb north of Paris where he was born six days after the Oct robbery He faces preliminary charges of theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy In total four individuals are in custody as part of the inquiry including three held to be members of the group of four that was filmed using a freight lift to reach the museum s window to gain access A judicial official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak publicly about the event identified him as Abdoulaye N Leadership did not disclose the identities of the other persons nor their details citing the secrecy of the scrutiny The suspect is thought to be one of the two thieves who broke into the Apollo Gallery with power tools cutting into display cases to steal the jewels His DNA was reportedly revealed on one of the cases and on items they left behind Le Parisien newspaper and BFM TV news broadcaster disclosed that the suspect was known on social media as Doudou Cross Bitume and has distributed videos since the end of the s on Youtube and Dailymotion and more of late on TikTok They show him performing tricks on motocross in Paris and Aubervilliers The suspect had been initially scheduled to stand trial Wednesday on minor charges of developing a mirror and damaging the door of the prison cell where he was detained in as part of a separate theft probe which later cleared him Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau reported the man gave investigators minimalist statements and partially admitted his involvement in the Louvre heist She disclosed he was convicted in in Paris in the same theft affair as another -year-old who was arrested last week also in connection with the Louvre heist
