Some of the jewels stolen during an armed raid at the Ritz Hotel in Paris have been recovered, according to a police source.
Armed robbers stole millions of euro worth of jewellery after smashing the windows of the world-famous hotel in central Paris.
Police said that three suspects have been detained, and two suspected thieves are believed to still be on the run.
The police source said some of the items were recovered after being found scattered during the arrests.
Jewels and watches were then found in a bag dropped by one of the two suspects still at large.
A judicial source put the value of the jewels seized at "more than €4m".
The five men, who were armed with hatchets, arrived at the hotel in Paris' luxurious Place Vendome around 6.30pm local time, before smashing the windows on the ground floor and fleeing with the jewels.
"World-famous jewellers display their jewellery at the Ritz," a police source said.
Three of the gang were detained while fleeing the scene and some roads around the hotel were sealed off by security forces following the incident.
Interior minister Gerard Collomb praised officers' "professionalism" saying they had "done our police force credit".
"We heard a loud noise and lots of racket in the street," one hotel employee told AFP.
"Passers-by took refuge in the hotel. We didn't know what was going on until someone told us there had been a robbery."
Another employee said he saw a motorbike speed along a road at the back of the hotel after the break-in.
Place Vendome, with its opulent window displays, has been the scene of several audacious daytime raids.
In March 2016, two robbers stole an estimated €6m worth of jewels from luxury fashion brand Chopard after threatening employees with a gun and grenade.
Three men were charged in connection with that robbery.
