Six Individuals Detained After 12 Million Euro Armed Raid on Gold Refining Lab in France

A group of six individuals carrying assault rifles and handguns detonated charges to breach the security of a precious metals processing plant located in Lyon, slightly injuring five employees during what is being called the most recent prominent broad daylight robbery to occur in the country.

The bold operation was carried out on the afternoon of Thursday, with law enforcement authorities swiftly apprehending the suspected perpetrators and securing the stolen items assessed at around €12 million (£10.5M), as stated by authorities.

Five staff members of the precious metals facility sustained minor injuries as a result of the detonation, and three individuals required hospital checks for evaluation, the regional prefecture announced. A total of twenty-eight staff were inside the facility when the perpetrators raided.

The individuals, thought to be career criminals, were taken into custody soon afterwards in the adjacent municipality of Vénissieux, France, authorities revealed.

A female participant who took part in the heist was taken into custody as well, according to law enforcement.

“Six suspects who employed explosive devices in an attack on a gold refining facility in Lyon were arrested at the scene,” the French interior minister stated online, lauding police for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

Military-style weapons, pistols and explosive materials were also confiscated.

The raid happened as French police on Thursday apprehended five additional individuals, including a primary suspect, in regarding the recent audacious theft at the Louvre.

Many investigative personnel have been searching for four perpetrators who employed a truck with a hydraulic lift and cutting tools to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the renowned museum on October 19th, fleeing with ornaments assessed at around 88 million euros.

In a separate high-profile case, thieves last month entered illegally the Parisian museum of natural history, taking gold specimens worth over $1 million. A woman from China, aged 24 was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona, Spain in connection with the break-in, officials confirmed.

The string of thefts has generated apprehension in the nation regarding inadequate security measures at museums and other institutions containing precious artifacts.