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

A team of six suspects carrying assault rifles and handguns used explosive devices to force entry into a precious metals processing plant located in the city of Lyon, slightly injuring five workers during described as the latest high-profile broad daylight robbery to hit the nation.

The bold operation occurred on Thursday afternoon, with law enforcement authorities rapidly detaining the suspected perpetrators and securing the stolen items valued at approximately €12 million (£10.5 million), according to officials.

Five workers of the precious metals facility were slightly hurt due to the explosion, and three of them were transported to hospital for examination, officials confirmed. Twenty-eight workers were inside the facility when the robbers attacked.

Those arrested, thought to be experienced criminals, were detained shortly after the incident in the nearby town of Vénissieux, France, according to investigative sources.

A female accomplice who took part in the heist was also apprehended, officers confirmed.

“Six people who employed explosive devices in an attack on a gold refining facility in Lyon were arrested at the scene,” France's security official announced via X, commending law enforcement for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Military-style weapons, pistols and explosive materials were recovered as well.

The heist took place as law enforcement in France on that Thursday arrested five more suspects, among them a key figure, in connection with the bold raid on the Louvre museum.

Many investigative personnel have been searching for four robbers who employed a truck with a hydraulic lift and cutting gear to access a gallery on the first floor at the renowned museum on October 19th, making off with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In a different significant robbery, burglars recently entered illegally the Natural History Museum in Paris, making off with gold samples worth over $1 million. A woman from China, aged 24 was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona, Spain in regarding the theft, officials confirmed.

The string of thefts has raised concerns in the nation regarding lax security at cultural venues and other facilities holding high-value objects.