French police arrest 5 suspects over Renoir museum theft

French police have arrested at least five suspects in connection with the theft of two Renoir paintings from a museum in southern France last month, local media reported. Two burglars cut through a fence and smashed a window to enter the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer on September 8. They then used an electric saw to cut through the frame mountings, according to the local mayor. The thieves initially took four Renoir artworks, valued together at around €9 million ($10.5 million), but dropped two in the museum's garden as they fled from police who had been alerted by the alarm system. The daily Nice Martin newspaper, which first broke the news of the arrests, said six people were taken into custody, including the two suspected burglars.