Youtube Star and Former Museum Guard: Meet 'Doudou Cross Bitume', One of the Suspects in the Spectacular Louvre Heist

Over two weeks later, the spectacular daylight robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris, dubbed the 'heist of the century', continues to cause a huge stir and raise many questions. It has now been revealed that one of the four detainees is a YouTuber who was a real social media star more than a decade ago for his videos of street racing, high-powered motorcycle stunts, and urban fitness, and who has a history of numerous prior offenses.

The profile of the suspect has baffled the French police in charge of the investigation. The officers have identified one of the perpetrators of the heist as Abdoulaye N., 39 years old and nicknamed 'Doudou Cross Bitume'. French media report that this minor criminal, with 15 offenses to his name, became a very popular influencer and has inspired several generations of teenagers, from his first videos in the late 2000s, posted on YouTube and Dailymotion, to his current stories on TikTok.

In some videos that are still active, he can be seen speeding on one wheel through the center of the French capital, heading towards the Arc de Triomphe. His motto, in fact, is 'Always closer to the asphalt'. He has also always boasted about his abs. He also succeeded with his videos on 'street workout', where he offers tips to his followers on how to get in shape.

Furthermore, it has drawn attention that he worked as a security guard at the Georges Pompidou National Center for Art and Culture, another of Paris's major museums. Previously, the suspect had been employed by the logistics company UPS and by Toys R Us.

A post shared by DOUDOU CROSS BITUME 93 (@doudoucross6)

'Doudou Cross Bitume' was arrested on October 25th at his home in Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis), the suburb of the French capital where he was born and has always lived. There, he is still known as 'the motocross legend'. He was arrested along with one of his accomplices, who can be seen in the gondola leaving the Louvre after taking away a valuable loot: jewels from the French crown estimated at 102 million dollars.

It all started shortly after the museum opened at nine in the morning. Four hooded men entered the first floor via a forklift parked outside and took nine jewels from the collection of Napoleon and the kings of France, although they lost a crown along the way which was found by the Police. The assailants entered through a window after placing a lift on the facade. The robbery lasted seven minutes when the gallery was crowded with visitors and called into question its security.

Discovery of His DNA

Previously, Abdoulaye N. had been arrested for drug possession, driving without a license, and a jewelry store robbery in 2014. Now, sources consulted by 'Le Parisien' believe that he acted under orders, although his profile is far from that of belonging to an organized commando.

The French police managed to track him down thanks to his DNA found on a display case, gloves, a reflective vest, and pliers left at the scene. Also, the DNA of his alleged accomplice was found on one of the two Tmax scooters used in the getaway. The Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, stated that the suspect had provided little information to the police, but had partially admitted his involvement in the Louvre robbery. He is in pretrial detention along with three other alleged accomplices.