The two suspects arrested in connection with the brazen daytime jewel heist at the Louvre museum in Paris have partially admitted to being involved in the robbery, prosecutors say.

Thieves broke into the second-story Apollo Gallery, smashed the glass display cases and snatched eight pieces of royal jewelry – worth an estimated $102 million – before escaping on motorbikes shortly after the museum opened on Oct. 19. Prosecutors say the robbery took between six and seven minutes.

Two men in their 30s who have criminal records were arrested almost a week later. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau previously said one of the suspects was preparing to fly out of the country at the time of the arrest.

There was no evidence to suggest that the robbery was an inside job, Beccuau said a news conference on Oct. 29. The jewelry taken from the world's most visited museum has not yet been found.

"I want to remain hopeful that (the jewels) will be found and they can be brought back to the Louvre, and more broadly to the nation," Beccuau said.

The pieces taken from the gallery include a tiara, as well as earrings and a necklace from a sapphire jewelry set owned by Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, the stepdaughter of Napoleon I.

An emerald necklace and a pair of earrings from the Marie-Louise set, the reliquary brooch, along with a tiara and brooch of Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III, were also taken.

News of the robbery shocked the world and sparked criticism over the museum's lapses in security. The Louvre's president and director admitted that the museum's cameras failed to spot the burglars and pledged to make security upgrades to the centuries-old building.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

Contributing: Karissa Waddick and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Louvre jewel heist suspects admit they were involved in brazen theft, prosecutors say

Reporting by N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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