PARIS — Five more suspects have been arrested over their involvement in the Louvre heist, Paris' public prosecutor has said.

They were arrested on Wednesday night in the Paris region, Laure Beccuau's office said.

A main suspect was among those taken into custody, AFP reported. The new arrests come after two men "partially recognised" their involvement in the brazen theft on Wednesday.

Items worth €88m (£76m; $102m) were taken from the world's most-visited museum on 19 October, when four thieves broke into the building in broad daylight.

The jewels had not been recovered yet, Beccuau told French radio station RTL on Thursday.

She added that DNA from one of those arrested could be linked to the crime scene.

French investigators are not giving many more details away at this stage but the new suspects can be detained for four days before being charged or released.

The authorities believe that the gang involved in the heist could be bigger than the four people caught on CCTV. — BBC