Six Arrested After €12 Million Armed Raid on Gold Processing Laboratory in France

A group of six individuals using high-powered firearms used explosive devices to force entry into a precious metals processing plant located in Lyon, France, slightly injuring five workers during what appears to be the most recent prominent broad daylight robbery to hit France.

The audacious robbery occurred on Thursday late morning, with officers quickly arresting the suspected perpetrators and securing the stolen items valued at approximately €12 million (£10.5 million), according to officials.

Five employees of the gold refining company sustained minor injuries from the blast, and three employees were transported to hospital for assessment, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight employees were at the location when the thieves struck.

The suspects, thought to be seasoned offenders, were arrested shortly after the incident in the neighboring community of Vénissieux, France, authorities revealed.

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

“Six people who utilized explosives in an attack on a metals processing plant in the Lyon area were caught in the act,” the nation's interior minister stated online, commending law enforcement for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.

High-caliber firearms, handguns and detonation devices were likewise seized.

The raid happened as authorities on Thursday arrested five more suspects, among them a key figure, in regarding the bold Louvre museum robbery.

Many investigative personnel have been searching for four thieves who used a vehicle with a hydraulic lift and cutting tools to access a gallery on the first floor at the renowned museum on October 19th, making off with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In a separate high-profile case, thieves last month broke into the French capital's Natural History Museum, stealing gold samples worth over $1 million. A woman from China, aged 24 was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona, Spain in connection with the break-in, prosecutors stated.

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