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

A team of six suspects carrying assault rifles and handguns employed explosives to force entry into a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, France, slightly injuring five employees during described as the most recent prominent daylight theft to occur in the country.

The daring raid occurred on the afternoon of Thursday, with police forces quickly arresting the individuals believed responsible and recovering the stolen goods estimated to be worth 12 million euros (£10.5M), according to officials.

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

Those arrested, believed to be seasoned offenders, were arrested soon afterwards in the neighboring community of the town of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.

A female participant who participated in the raid was taken into custody as well, according to law enforcement.

“Six individuals who employed explosive devices in a raid against a gold refining facility in Lyon were apprehended red-handed,” France's security official announced via X, lauding police for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.

High-caliber firearms, handguns and detonation devices were likewise seized.

The heist took place as authorities on Thursday arrested five more suspects, among them a key figure, in relation to this month's brazen raid on the Louvre museum.

Dozens of investigators have been hunting four robbers who employed a truck featuring an elevating platform and cutting tools to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the museum on October 19th, making off with precious items estimated to be worth €88 million.

In a separate high-profile case, thieves last month entered illegally the Natural History Museum in Paris, making off with gold samples estimated at exceeding $1M. A young Chinese female was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona in relation to the burglary, according to legal authorities.

The string of thefts has generated apprehension in the country regarding inadequate security measures at cultural venues and other facilities holding high-value objects.