Six Arrested After €12M Armed Raid on Precious Metals Facility in the French Republic

A team of six suspects equipped with high-powered firearms used explosive devices to break into a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, slightly injuring five employees during what is being called the newest significant broad daylight robbery to occur in the country.

The daring raid was carried out on Thursday late morning, with officers quickly arresting the suspected perpetrators and recovering the stolen goods assessed at around 12 million euros (10.5 million pounds), as stated by authorities.

Five employees of the gold refining company sustained minor injuries as a result of the detonation, and three employees were transported to hospital for evaluation, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight employees were at the location when the thieves struck.

The suspects, considered experienced criminals, were taken into custody shortly after the incident in the nearby town of the town of Vénissieux, authorities revealed.

A female participant who took part in the heist was taken into custody as well, a police source indicated.

“Six suspects who employed explosive devices in a raid against a precious metals company in the Lyon area were arrested at the scene,” the nation's interior minister announced via X, lauding police for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were also confiscated.

The robbery occurred as law enforcement in France on Thursday arrested five more suspects, including a primary suspect, in regarding the recent audacious raid on the Louvre museum.

Dozens of investigators have been hunting four robbers who utilized a lorry equipped with a moving lift and cutting gear to breach a first-floor gallery at the prestigious institution on 19 October, escaping with jewelry valued at approximately 88 million euros.

In another notable incident, burglars recently forced their way into the Parisian museum of natural history, stealing gold samples valued at more than one million dollars. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona, Spain in relation to the burglary, officials confirmed.

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