Paris Ritz heist: all the loot found

By Hajer M'tiri

PARIS (AA) - The police have recovered all of the multi-million dollars worth of jewels stolen from the Paris Ritz Hotel Wednesday evening as the manhunt for at least two thieves continue.

The stolen merchandise is worth at least 4.5 million euros ($5.4 million), according to French media.

"I can confirm that all the stolen jewels were found in the bag recovered by police officers," a source close to the investigation was quoted as saying by French daily Le Figaro late on Thursday.

A masked group armed with axes, sledgehammers and guns stormed the landmark Ritz Hotel in the Chic Place Vendome in central Paris. Police detained three people shortly after the incident.

The source said the whole of the loot was in the bag dropped by one of the perpetrators when his motorcycle hit a pedestrian during his escape and seized later by police.

This is the latest in a string of high-profile heists in the French capital. Place Vendome, where luxurious jewelers and high-end watchmakers display their multi millions worth of goods, is also home to the French Justice Ministry; it has been the scene of several dramatic daytime robberies.