Two men arrested over the jewel heist at France's Louve museum are to be charged with theft and criminal conspiracy after "partially admitting to the charges", Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau has said.
The suspects were to be brought before magistrates with a view to "charging them with organised theft, which carries a 15-year prison sentence", and criminal conspiracy, punishable by 10 years, Beccuau told a press conference.
The jewellery stolen has "not yet been recovered", Ms Beccuau said.
Four hooded thieves made off with the treasures after breaking into the Louvre on the morning of October 19, exposing security lapses at the world's most-visited museum.
The two detained men, both in their thirties and with criminal records, were arrested on Saturday. One of them was attempting to board a flight to Algeria.
There was no evidence to suggest at this point that the robbery was an inside job, Ms Beccuau told a news conference.
"I want to remain hopeful that [the jewels] will be found and they can be brought back to the Louvre, and more broadly to the nation", she said.
The thieves stole eight precious pieces worth an estimated $US102 million ($154 million) from the Louvre's collection on October 19, exposing security lapses as they broke into the world's most-visited museum using a crane to smash an upstairs window during opening hours. They escaped on motorbikes.
The museum's cameras failed to detect the intruders in time to prevent the robbery, which took between six to seven minutes and was carried out by four people who were unarmed, but who threatened the guards with angle grinders.
Security shortcomings at the Louvre forced the museum to transfer some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France under secret police escort, according to French radio RTL.
News of the robbery reverberated around the world, prompting soul-searching in France over what some viewed as a national humiliation.
Wires
