Six Individuals Detained Following €12M Armed Raid on Precious Metals Facility in France

A group of six individuals using military-grade weapons employed explosives to force entry into a gold refining laboratory located in Lyon, causing light wounds to five staff members during what appears to be the most recent prominent daytime heist to hit France.

The bold operation took place on the afternoon of Thursday, with law enforcement authorities swiftly apprehending the individuals believed responsible and securing the stolen items assessed at around €12M (£10.5M), according to officials.

Five employees of Laboratoires Pourquery were slightly hurt as a result of the detonation, and three individuals required hospital checks for evaluation, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight employees were at the location when the robbers attacked.

The suspects, thought to be career criminals, were taken into custody shortly after the incident in the nearby town of Vénissieux, authorities revealed.

A female participant involved in the raid was also apprehended, a police source indicated.

“Six individuals who employed explosive devices in a raid against a gold refining facility in the Lyon area were apprehended red-handed,” France's security official stated online, lauding police for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were recovered as well.

The robbery occurred as authorities on that Thursday apprehended five additional individuals, including a primary suspect, in connection with the bold Louvre museum robbery.

Numerous detectives have been searching for four thieves who utilized a lorry with a hydraulic lift and cutting equipment to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the renowned museum on 19 October, escaping with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In another notable incident, robbers the previous month forced their way into the French capital's Natural History Museum, taking gold specimens valued at more than one million dollars. A woman from China, aged 24 was arrested earlier this month in the city of Barcelona in relation to the burglary, according to legal authorities.

The sequence of heists has generated apprehension in the nation regarding inadequate security measures at cultural venues and other facilities holding high-value objects.