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Michel Rose

Suspects in Louvre jewel heist case arrested near Paris

Two suspects have been arrested over a brazen robbery at the world's most-visited museum. (AP PHOTO)

Suspects in the brazen daylight heist of some of France's crown jewels from the Louvre have been arrested near Paris as one of them was about to fly out of the country, a French prosecutor says.

According to Le Parisien newspaper, which first broke the story, two men in their 30s and originally from the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb of the French capital were arrested on Saturday evening.

They were known to French police, and one of the suspects was about to depart Charles de Gaulle airport for Algeria, the newspaper said. 

People queue outside the Louvre museum
Thieves used a crane to smash an upstairs window at the Louvre during opening hours. (AP PHOTO)

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau did not say how many people were arrested or give any more detail on their profile.

In a statement, she deplored the fact information about their arrest was leaked.

"This revelation can only hinder the investigative efforts of the 100 or so mobilised investigators, both in the search for the stolen jewellery and for all the perpetrators," Beccuau said.

"It is too early to provide any specific details."

Thieves stole eight precious pieces worth an estimated $US102 million ($A157 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.

News of the robbery reverberated around the world, prompting soul-searching in France over what some regarded as a national humiliation.

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