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A former ‘motocross legend’ and bodybuilding social media star has been named as one among the suspects within the Louvre heist.
Abdoulaye N, 39, nicknamed ‘Doudou Cross Bitume’, is regarded as a part of the gang that stole £76,000,000 price of things from the famous French gallery last week.
He was arrested ten days after the heist, on October 29,and is facing charges of theft by an organised gang and criminal conspiracy.
He’s suspected of being one among two men who used a stolen cherry picker to enter the museum’s Apollo Gallery.
This comes as French auditors have urged the museum to hurry up its security modernisation plans as a priority.
Abdoulaye’s DNA was reportedly found on one among the jewellery cases and an item left behind in the frenzy.
The stolen jewels haven’t been recovered yet, with experts concerned they’re long gone.
Abdoulaye is thought online as ‘The Motocross Legend’ and rose to fame within the late 2000s.
Videos on YouTube and Dailymotion show him performing stunts and long rides from his home district, Aubervilliers, to central Paris landmarks.
Nonetheless, his social media accounts have been inactive for the reason that end of September, stopping his videos specializing in street workouts and motorcycle lessons for local youths.
In line with local French media, Abdoulaye has 15 previous convictions, along with his record reportedly including drug possession, driving with out a license and resisting arrest.
On the age of 16, he was detained for the primary time.
In 2015, he served a jail sentence for an armed robbery at a jewelry store in Paris’s Barbes district.
After his time in prison, he worked for temporary agencies and as an unlicensed taxi driver.
He faced one other burglary investigation in 2019, but prosecutors dropped the theft charges.
One among his co-defendants on this case, Slimane K, can be one among the alleged accomplices and is suspected of being the getaway driver.
Abdoulaye has had various short-term jobs, including warehouse employee and security guard.
He can be in a long-term relationship and has children.
Growing up, his father was an airport employee and had 23 children across three marriages.
Apparently, Abdoulaye appeared overwhelmed by the case’s scale when he was questioned by the Paris Anti-Gang Brigade.
Initially, he remained silent but then admitted to collaborating within the robbery, claiming he had acted under orders of unidentified individuals, it was reported.
Ayed G, his alleged accomplice, also referred to an unknown person as an unnamed foreign mastermind.
Statements made by the 2 surprised the investigators, with one claiming he didn’t realise the constructing was the Louvre and the opposite saying he thought it was ‘closed and empty.’
Abdoulaye’s trial will happen in April, in keeping with a court in Bobigny, north Paris.
His lawyers said they’ve not been allowed to properly prepare for trial attributable to the high publicity of the case.
Investigators are exploring possible links to organised crime or art trafficking rings because traces left on the scene suggest the arrested pair were low-level participants in a bigger network.
In total, 4 suspects are in custody as a part of the heist investigation that has shocked the world attributable to how easily and quickly the thieves did it.
A report by French auditors criticised the museum for prioritising ‘visible and attractive operations on the expense of the upkeep and renovation of buildings and technical installations.’
Specifically, the Louvre’s safety and security systems were substandard, with the CCTV cameras facing the mistaken way and the video surveillance password being ‘LOUVRE’.
The estimated cost for security improvements is 83 million euros (£73 million).
A previous plan to ramp up security kept getting delayed, with work set to start out next yr and finish in 2032 – but this is just not soon enough.
Last week, culture minister Rachida Dati acknowledged the ‘security gaps’ and said the Louvre will install street-side anti-ramming and anti-intrusion devices in the following two months.
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