Six Arrested Following 12 Million Euro Heist on Precious Metals Facility in France

Six armed perpetrators carrying military-grade weapons detonated charges to force entry into a gold refining laboratory located in Lyon, resulting in minor injuries to five staff members during what appears to be the latest high-profile broad daylight robbery to affect France.

The audacious robbery was carried out on the afternoon of Thursday, with officers quickly arresting the alleged criminals and recovering the stolen goods assessed at around 12 million euros (£10.5M), officials reported.

Five workers of the precious metals facility received light wounds due to the explosion, and three individuals were transported to hospital for assessment, officials confirmed. Twenty-eight workers were present on-site when the robbers attacked.

The individuals, considered experienced criminals, were taken into custody soon afterwards in the adjacent municipality of the town of Vénissieux, a source close to the investigation stated.

A woman involved who took part in the raid was also apprehended, officers confirmed.

“Six suspects who used detonations in an attack on a metals processing plant in Lyon were caught in the act,” the nation's interior minister declared on social media, commending law enforcement for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

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

The heist took place as law enforcement in France on Thursday apprehended five additional individuals, among them a key figure, in regarding this month's brazen Louvre museum robbery.

Dozens of investigators have been pursuing four thieves who employed a truck with a hydraulic lift and cutting equipment to access a gallery on the first floor at the renowned museum on 19 October, escaping with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In a separate high-profile case, thieves last month broke into the Parisian museum of natural history, taking gold specimens worth over $1 million. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was apprehended in the current month in the city of Barcelona in connection with the break-in, prosecutors stated.

The string of thefts has sparked worry in the country regarding insufficient protection at museums and other institutions containing precious artifacts.