Six Suspects Apprehended Following €12 Million Heist on Gold Processing Laboratory in France

A team of six suspects carrying military-grade weapons detonated charges to breach the security of a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, slightly injuring five staff members during what appears to be the newest significant daylight theft to affect the nation.

The daring raid occurred on the afternoon of Thursday, with officers rapidly detaining the individuals believed responsible and securing the stolen items estimated to be worth 12 million euros (10.5 million pounds), according to officials.

Five workers of the precious metals facility sustained minor injuries as a result of the detonation, and three of them were taken to a medical facility for evaluation, officials confirmed. A total of twenty-eight staff were inside the facility when the robbers attacked.

The suspects, considered career criminals, were detained soon afterwards in the neighboring community of Vénissieux, a source close to the investigation stated.

A female participant who took part in the raid was also apprehended, officers confirmed.

“Six individuals who used detonations in an assault targeting a precious metals company in the Lyon area were apprehended red-handed,” France's security official announced via X, praising officers for their “quick action, authority and management”.

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

The robbery occurred as authorities on that Thursday detained five further people, including a primary suspect, in connection with this month's brazen raid on the Louvre museum.

Numerous detectives have been pursuing four thieves who employed a truck with a hydraulic lift and cutting tools to access a gallery on the first floor at the renowned museum on the nineteenth of October, making off with precious items estimated to be worth €88 million.

In another notable incident, thieves last month entered illegally the Parisian museum of natural history, taking gold specimens valued at more than one million dollars. A woman from China, aged 24 was apprehended in the current month in the city of Barcelona in connection with the break-in, officials confirmed.

The string of thefts has raised concerns in France regarding lax security at museums and other institutions housing valuable items.