Six Suspects Apprehended After €12 Million Heist on Precious Metals Facility in France

A group of six individuals carrying assault rifles and handguns detonated charges to break into a gold refining laboratory located in the city of Lyon, resulting in minor injuries to five workers during described as the latest high-profile broad daylight robbery to hit the nation.

The bold operation was carried out on the afternoon of Thursday, with law enforcement authorities swiftly apprehending the suspected perpetrators and retrieving the loot valued at approximately 12 million euros (10.5 million pounds), as stated by authorities.

Five staff members of Laboratoires Pourquery received light wounds due to the explosion, and three employees were taken to a medical facility for assessment, according to regional authorities. Twenty-eight employees were at the location when the robbers attacked.

The individuals, believed to be experienced criminals, were arrested a brief time later in the neighboring community of the town of Vénissieux, authorities revealed.

A woman involved who participated in the heist was likewise arrested, officers confirmed.

“Six individuals who employed explosive devices in a raid against a gold refining facility in Lyon, France were caught in the act,” France's security official declared on social media, commending law enforcement for their “quick action, authority and management”.

High-caliber firearms, handguns and detonation devices were also confiscated.

The raid happened as French police on the same day detained five further people, among them a key figure, in relation to this month's brazen theft at the Louvre.

Numerous detectives have been hunting four thieves who employed a truck equipped with a moving lift and cutting tools to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the renowned museum on 19 October, fleeing with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In another notable incident, robbers the previous month entered illegally the Parisian museum of natural history, taking gold specimens worth over $1 million. A woman from China, aged 24 was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona in regarding the theft, according to legal authorities.

The string of thefts has sparked worry in France regarding insufficient protection at museums and various establishments containing precious artifacts.