Five more people arrested over Louvre heist as items worth £76m stolen from world's most-visited museum

French TV had said earlier on Thursday that a man suspected of being present at the crime scene when the daylight robbery took place had been detained.

The new arrests follow the arrest over the weekend of two men suspected of breaking into the museum through an upstairs window and stealing the precious pieces.

The pair, including one person who was trying to fly out of France when they were caught, had "partially admitted" their involvement in the heist under interrogation, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told a press conference.

The heist exposed security lapses at the world's most-visited museum and was seen by many as a national humiliation.

Beccuau said on Wednesday she did not rule out the possibility of a larger group, including a person who could have ordered the theft and been the mastermind behind it.

The jewels remain missing.

The director at the world famous museum and art gallery said the cameras failed to detect burglars in time to prevent the theft taking place.

Louvre Director Laurence des Cars told senators that she had offered her resignation, but it had been refused by Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who has also come under fire as recriminations flew after the robbery.

Ms Des Cars told a Senate committee: "Despite our efforts, despite our hard work every day, we were defeated."

The exterior security cameras do not offer full coverage of the museum's facade, she said, adding that the window which the thieves broke in was not monitored by CCTV.

The stolen treasures included a tiara and an earring from the jewellery of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense from the early 19th century.

The crown of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, was found damaged outside the museum.

The thieves apparently dropped the piece, made of gold, emeralds and diamonds, as they made their getaway.

Built in the late 12th century, the Louvre Palace used to be the official residence of the kings of France, until Louis XIV abandoned it for Versailles.

It was turned into a museum for the royal art collection in 1793, four years after the French Revolution.

Its huge collection of masterpieces, including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo statue, brought in 8.7 million visitors last year.

Following the heist, the museum has transferred some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France.

The transfer of some precious items from the museum's Apollo gallery, home to the French crown jewels, was carried out on Friday under secret police escort, sources told local media.

The Bank of France, which stores the country's gold reserves in a massive vault 88 feet below ground, is just 500 meters away from the Louvre, on the Right Bank of the River Seine.

The museum and the French Government has not confirmed these reports.