Two suspects have been arrested over the theft of precious crown jewels from Paris’s Louvre museum, French media say.

According to Le Parisien newspaper, the men were originally from the Parisian suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, and one was preparing to board a flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Items of inestimable value were taken from the world’s most-visited museum last Sunday, when four thieves wielding power tools broke into the building in broad daylight.

France’s justice minister has since conceded security protocols “failed”, leaving the country with a “terrible image”.

The gang reportedly arrived at 09:30 (06:30 GMT), shortly after the museum opened to visitors.

The suspects arrived with a vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to gain access to the Galerie d’Apollon (Gallery of Apollo) via a balcony close to the River Seine.

Pictures from the scene showed the ladder leading up to a first-floor window.

Two of the thieves got inside by cutting through the window with power tools.

They then threatened the guards, who evacuated the premises, and cut through the glass of two display cases containing jewels.

A preliminary report has revealed that one in three rooms in the area of the museum raided had no CCTV cameras, according to French media.

French police say the thieves were inside for four minutes and made their escape on two scooters waiting outside at 09:38.

Security measures have been tightened around France’s cultural institutions, officials said.