Six Individuals Detained Following €12M Heist on Gold Refining Lab in France

A group of six individuals equipped with high-powered firearms employed explosives to breach the security of a gold treatment facility located in the city of Lyon, causing light wounds to five workers during described as the latest high-profile broad daylight robbery to hit the nation.

The audacious robbery was carried out on Thursday afternoon, with police forces quickly arresting the individuals believed responsible and recovering the stolen goods valued at approximately €12M (£10.5 million), as stated by authorities.

Five workers of the gold refining company received light wounds as a result of the detonation, and three individuals were taken to a medical facility for evaluation, according to regional authorities. A total of twenty-eight staff were inside the facility when the perpetrators raided.

The suspects, considered experienced criminals, were arrested shortly after the incident in the adjacent municipality of Vénissieux, France, a source close to the investigation stated.

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

“Six suspects who used detonations in an assault targeting a precious metals company in the Lyon area were arrested at the scene,” the nation's interior minister declared on social media, commending law enforcement for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were also confiscated.

The raid happened as French police on the same day detained five further people, among them a key figure, in connection with this month's brazen raid on the Louvre museum.

Numerous detectives have been pursuing four robbers who employed a truck with a hydraulic lift and cutting gear to access a gallery on the first floor at the renowned museum on October 19th, fleeing with jewelry valued at approximately €88 million.

In a different significant robbery, robbers the previous month 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 apprehended in the current month in Barcelona in relation to the burglary, officials confirmed.

The string of thefts has raised concerns in France regarding inadequate security measures at cultural venues and other facilities containing precious artifacts.