Six Suspects Apprehended Following €12 Million Robbery on Precious Metals Facility in France

Six armed perpetrators carrying assault rifles and handguns employed explosives to force entry into a gold refining laboratory located in the city of Lyon, slightly injuring five employees during what appears to be the newest significant daytime heist to occur in the nation.

The bold operation occurred on Thursday late morning, with police forces quickly arresting the individuals believed responsible and recovering the stolen goods valued at approximately 12 million euros (£10.5 million), officials reported.

Five staff members of the precious metals facility were slightly hurt due to the explosion, and three of them were taken to a medical facility for assessment, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight workers were at the location when the thieves struck.

The individuals, considered experienced criminals, were taken into custody shortly after the incident in the adjacent municipality of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.

A female accomplice who participated in the heist was likewise arrested, officers confirmed.

“Six suspects who employed explosive devices in an attack on a precious metals company in Lyon, France were apprehended red-handed,” the nation's interior minister announced via X, lauding police for their “quick action, authority and management”.

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

The robbery occurred as law enforcement in France on the same day apprehended five additional individuals, featuring a main perpetrator, in connection with this month's brazen raid on the Louvre museum.

Dozens of investigators have been searching for four perpetrators who utilized a lorry with a hydraulic lift and cutting tools to breach a first-floor gallery at the renowned museum on 19 October, escaping with jewelry valued at approximately 88 million euros.

In another notable incident, burglars recently entered illegally the French capital's Natural History Museum, stealing gold samples worth over $1 million. A woman from China, aged 24 was apprehended in the current month in the city of Barcelona in connection with the break-in, according to legal authorities.

The string of thefts has raised concerns in the country regarding insufficient protection at cultural venues and other facilities housing valuable items.