Six Arrested Following 12 Million Euro Armed Raid on Gold Refining Lab in the French Republic

A team of six suspects carrying military-grade weapons detonated charges to breach the security of a precious metals processing plant located in Lyon, France, resulting in minor injuries to five employees during what appears to be the newest significant daytime heist to occur in the country.

The daring raid took place on the afternoon of Thursday, with officers quickly arresting the alleged criminals and retrieving the loot estimated to be worth €12M (10.5 million pounds), according to officials.

Five staff members of the precious metals facility received light wounds due to the explosion, and three of them were taken to a medical facility for examination, according to regional authorities. A total of twenty-eight staff were inside the facility when the thieves struck.

The suspects, thought to be experienced criminals, were taken into custody shortly after the incident in the adjacent municipality of the town of Vénissieux, a source close to the investigation stated.

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

“Six people who utilized explosives in an assault targeting a gold refining facility in the Lyon area were arrested at the scene,” France's security official announced via X, praising officers for their “quick action, authority and management”.

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

The robbery occurred as French police on Thursday apprehended five additional individuals, among them a key figure, in regarding the recent audacious theft at the Louvre.

Dozens of investigators have been hunting four thieves who employed a truck equipped with a moving lift and cutting equipment to breach a first-floor gallery at the museum on 19 October, fleeing with precious items estimated to be worth 88 million euros.

In another notable incident, thieves last month entered illegally the Parisian museum of natural history, stealing gold samples valued at more than one million dollars. A young Chinese female was apprehended in the current month in the city of Barcelona in relation to the burglary, according to legal authorities.

The sequence of heists has sparked worry in the country regarding lax security at museums and other institutions housing valuable items.