Six Suspects Apprehended Following €12M Armed Raid on Gold Processing Laboratory in the French Republic

A team of six suspects equipped with military-grade weapons detonated charges to force entry into a precious metals processing plant located in the city of Lyon, causing light wounds to five staff members during what appears to be the latest high-profile broad daylight robbery to affect the country.

The audacious robbery occurred on Thursday late morning, with law enforcement authorities quickly arresting the alleged criminals and recovering the stolen goods valued at approximately €12M (10.5 million pounds), as stated by authorities.

Five staff members of the precious metals facility sustained minor injuries due to the explosion, and three of them required hospital checks for assessment, according to regional authorities. A total of twenty-eight staff were at the location when the thieves struck.

The individuals, considered career criminals, were arrested shortly after the incident in the nearby town of the town of Vénissieux, authorities revealed.

A woman involved involved in the heist was likewise arrested, a police source indicated.

“Six individuals who used detonations in an assault targeting a metals processing plant in Lyon, France were apprehended red-handed,” France's security official declared on social media, praising officers for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

High-caliber firearms, handguns and detonation devices were recovered as well.

The heist took place as authorities on Thursday detained five further people, among them a key figure, in connection with the recent audacious Louvre museum robbery.

Many investigative personnel have been hunting four thieves who employed a truck featuring an elevating platform and cutting tools to access a gallery on the first floor at the prestigious institution on 19 October, making off with ornaments assessed at around €88 million.

In a different significant robbery, robbers the previous month forced their way into the Natural History Museum in Paris, stealing gold samples valued at more than one million dollars. A woman from China, aged 24 was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona in connection with the break-in, officials confirmed.

The sequence of heists has sparked worry in the country regarding insufficient protection at cultural venues and other facilities holding high-value objects.