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

A team of six suspects carrying military-grade weapons used explosive devices to force entry into a gold refining laboratory located in Lyon, resulting in minor injuries to five workers during what is being called the newest significant broad daylight robbery to hit the nation.

The bold operation was carried out on Thursday afternoon, with law enforcement authorities swiftly apprehending the individuals believed responsible and recovering the stolen goods estimated to be worth 12 million euros (£10.5M), as stated by authorities.

Five staff members of the gold refining company sustained minor injuries from the blast, and three individuals required hospital checks for assessment, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight employees were present on-site when the thieves struck.

The suspects, considered seasoned offenders, were arrested a brief time later in the adjacent municipality of Vénissieux, France, authorities revealed.

A female participant involved in the raid was also apprehended, officers confirmed.

“Six individuals who employed explosive devices in an assault targeting a precious metals company in Lyon were caught in the act,” the nation's interior minister announced via X, praising officers for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Military-style weapons, pistols and explosive materials were likewise seized.

The heist took place as law enforcement in France on that Thursday detained five further people, featuring a main perpetrator, in regarding the recent audacious theft at the Louvre.

Many investigative personnel have been hunting four thieves who employed a truck with a hydraulic lift and cutting equipment to breach a first-floor gallery at the renowned museum on 19 October, fleeing with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In a different significant robbery, burglars recently broke into the Natural History Museum in Paris, stealing gold samples estimated at exceeding $1M. A young Chinese female was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona, Spain in regarding the theft, officials confirmed.

This series of robberies has raised concerns in France regarding inadequate security measures at cultural venues and other facilities containing precious artifacts.