On March 15th, investigators found 100 works of art, from paintings and statues to ciboriums and candlesticks, with a value estimated at 100,000 euros in an apartment in Pas-de-Calais. Following September robbery complaints from two churches in Likques and Sainghin-en-Weppes, a coordinated investigation resulted in the arrest of three art students, two men and a woman, who admitted having stolen the works art from various churches in Hauts-de-France, as well as in Belgium, over a two-year period.
The students, ages 19, 26, and 28, apparently did not sell any of the stolen art, but instead had a "passion for religious art" and "did not intend to steal," according to their attorney. Police also seized two rifles and a machine gun during the search.
Source: Le Parisien, Nord Littoral, and France 3