Six Suspects Apprehended Following €12M Armed Raid on Precious Metals Facility in France

A team of six suspects using military-grade weapons detonated charges to breach the security of a gold refining laboratory located in Lyon, slightly injuring five employees during what appears to be the latest high-profile broad daylight robbery to hit the nation.

The daring raid took place on Thursday afternoon, with law enforcement authorities swiftly apprehending the individuals believed responsible and recovering the stolen goods valued at approximately €12M (10.5 million pounds), according to officials.

Five employees of the gold refining company sustained minor injuries due to the explosion, and three employees were transported to hospital for evaluation, according to regional authorities. A total of twenty-eight staff were inside the facility when the thieves struck.

The individuals, believed to be experienced criminals, were arrested a brief time later in the nearby town of the town of Vénissieux, a source close to the investigation stated.

A woman involved involved in the heist was also apprehended, officers confirmed.

“Six people who utilized explosives in an attack on a gold refining facility in Lyon were caught in the act,” the nation's interior minister declared on social media, praising officers for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.

Military-style weapons, pistols and explosive materials were recovered as well.

The raid happened as law enforcement in France on that Thursday arrested five more suspects, among them a key figure, in regarding this month's brazen theft at the Louvre.

Dozens of investigators have been hunting four thieves who utilized a lorry equipped with a moving lift and cutting gear to breach a first-floor gallery at the museum on 19 October, fleeing with precious items estimated to be worth 88 million euros.

In a different significant robbery, burglars recently forced their way into the Parisian museum of natural history, stealing gold samples 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, officials confirmed.

The string of thefts has raised concerns in France regarding inadequate security measures at museums and various establishments housing valuable items.