Six Suspects Apprehended Following €12M Armed Raid on Gold Refining Lab in the French Republic

A team of six suspects equipped with military-grade weapons employed explosives to force entry into a gold refining laboratory located in the city of Lyon, slightly injuring five staff members during what is being called the most recent prominent broad daylight robbery to occur in France.

The audacious robbery was carried out on Thursday late morning, with officers quickly arresting the suspected perpetrators and recovering the stolen goods valued at approximately €12M (£10.5 million), according to officials.

Five workers of the precious metals facility were slightly hurt as a result of the detonation, and three of them required hospital checks for examination, officials confirmed. Twenty-eight workers were at the location when the thieves struck.

The individuals, thought to be experienced criminals, were detained shortly after the incident in the adjacent municipality of Vénissieux, authorities revealed.

A female accomplice who participated in the heist was taken into custody as well, a police source indicated.

“Six suspects who utilized explosives in an attack on a precious metals company in Lyon were apprehended red-handed,” the nation's interior minister announced via X, lauding police for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

High-caliber firearms, handguns and detonation devices were also confiscated.

The heist took place as authorities on the same day apprehended five additional individuals, including a primary suspect, in regarding this month's brazen Louvre museum robbery.

Dozens of investigators have been searching for four robbers who employed a truck equipped with a moving lift and cutting tools to breach a first-floor gallery at the renowned museum on 19 October, making off with ornaments assessed at around €88M.

In another notable incident, thieves last month forced their way into the Parisian museum of natural history, taking gold specimens estimated at exceeding $1M. A young Chinese female was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona in connection with the break-in, prosecutors stated.

The string of thefts has sparked worry in the country regarding lax security at cultural venues and other facilities housing valuable items.