Six Suspects Apprehended Following 12 Million Euro Heist on Gold Refining Lab in France

A group of six individuals equipped with military-grade weapons employed explosives to breach the security of a precious metals processing plant located in the city of Lyon, causing light wounds to five employees during what is being called the most recent prominent daylight theft to occur in the country.

The daring raid took place on Thursday late morning, with police forces quickly arresting the alleged criminals and securing the stolen items estimated to be worth €12M (£10.5 million), as stated by authorities.

Five staff members of the precious metals facility sustained minor injuries from the blast, and three individuals required hospital checks for examination, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight workers were present on-site when the perpetrators raided.

The individuals, thought to be seasoned offenders, were arrested shortly after the incident in the adjacent municipality of the town of Vénissieux, a source close to the investigation stated.

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

“Six individuals who used detonations in an attack on a gold refining facility in the Lyon area were arrested at the scene,” France's security official announced via X, praising officers for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were also confiscated.

The robbery occurred as authorities on Thursday arrested five more suspects, featuring a main perpetrator, in regarding the bold Louvre museum robbery.

Many investigative personnel have been pursuing four perpetrators who employed a truck equipped with a moving lift and cutting equipment 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 another notable incident, burglars recently broke into the French capital's Natural History Museum, making off with gold samples valued at more than one million dollars. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona in regarding the theft, prosecutors stated.

This series of robberies has generated apprehension in the country regarding inadequate security measures at cultural venues and other facilities housing valuable items.