Six Individuals Detained After €12M Armed Raid on Gold Refining Lab in the French Republic

Six armed perpetrators equipped with high-powered firearms detonated charges to break into a precious metals processing plant located in Lyon, resulting in minor injuries to five staff members during what is being called the newest significant daytime heist to hit the country.

The bold operation took place on Thursday late morning, with law enforcement authorities rapidly detaining the alleged criminals and retrieving the loot estimated to be worth 12 million euros (10.5 million pounds), officials reported.

Five staff members of the precious metals facility sustained minor injuries from the blast, and three individuals required hospital checks for examination, officials confirmed. A total of twenty-eight staff were at the location when the robbers attacked.

Those arrested, thought to be seasoned offenders, were detained shortly after the incident in the nearby town of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.

A woman involved who participated in the raid was taken into custody as well, according to law enforcement.

“Six people who employed explosive devices in an attack on a gold refining facility in Lyon were caught in the act,” the French interior minister declared on social media, lauding police for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.

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

The robbery occurred as authorities on the same day detained five further people, featuring a main perpetrator, in relation to the bold theft at the Louvre.

Many investigative personnel have been pursuing four robbers who employed a truck with a hydraulic lift and cutting tools to access a gallery on the first floor at the renowned museum on October 19th, escaping with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In a different significant robbery, thieves last month broke into the Natural History Museum in Paris, taking gold specimens worth over $1 million. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona in regarding the theft, according to legal authorities.

The string of thefts has sparked worry in France regarding inadequate security measures at museums and other institutions housing valuable items.