Passerby photo outside Louvre fuels speculation in crown jewels heist

A sharply dressed man who appeared in a widely shared photograph taken outside the Louvre in Paris after a brazen crown jewels heist on Oct. 19 has been identified by the photographer as a passerby, not an investigator, even as online speculation about his role and the image’s authenticity spread widely. The photograph, captured shortly after masked thieves fled with several priceless pieces in a daylight robbery, shows uniformed police sealing off an entrance while a man in a fedora, waistcoat and trench coat stands nearby. Social media posts that likened him to a film‑noir detective drew millions of views and prompted debate over whether the image was real or generated by artificial intelligence.

The photographer said he did not know the man and that the figure simply walked into the frame as authorities evacuated the area. "I don't know him," he said. "He appeared in front of me, I saw him, I took the photo. He passed by and left." The Paris prosecutor’s office declined to identify the man, writing that it would "rather keep the mystery alive." Prosecutors and police have not presented evidence tying him to the theft.

Investigators continue to pursue the robbery itself, which...