Three men in their 30s are charged over £3.5m

Three men have been charged and detained over a jewellery heist at the iconic Ritz hotel in Paris last week.

The men, who were known to police, are in their early 30s and from the Paris region.

They were arrested after getting trapped in locked doors as they tried to flee the landmark hotel.

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The robbery on Wednesday evening saw a gang of men armed with handguns and hatchets burst into the luxury Parisian hotel and steal watches and gems worth more than four million euros (£3.55 million).

The men burst into the glitzy hotel on Paris' Place Vendome and smash the outer windows of the jewellery shops on the ground floor. 

The robbers, who wore balaclavas and gloves, entered through a staff entrance at the back of the hotel.

The men have been charged with organised theft using weapons, violence and causing damage.

Two further suspects are still at large.

All of the jewels have since been recovered by police.

Witnesses feared they had been caught up in a terror attack.

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Some reported thieves were dressed as builders, adding to speculation renovation work at the rear of the hotel contributed to a lack of security which allowed the heist to take place.