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

A team of six suspects equipped with high-powered firearms detonated charges to break into a gold treatment facility located in the city of Lyon, resulting in minor injuries to five employees during described as the newest significant daylight theft to occur in France.

The audacious robbery took place on the afternoon of Thursday, with officers quickly arresting the alleged criminals and retrieving the loot valued at approximately €12M (£10.5M), as stated by authorities.

Five workers of the precious metals facility were slightly hurt from the blast, and three of them were taken to a medical facility for assessment, the regional prefecture announced. A total of twenty-eight staff were inside the facility when the perpetrators raided.

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

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

“Six suspects who used detonations in a raid against a metals processing plant in the Lyon area were apprehended red-handed,” the nation's interior minister announced via X, commending law enforcement for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.

Military-style weapons, pistols and explosive materials were also confiscated.

The robbery occurred 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.

Many investigative personnel have been hunting four perpetrators who employed a truck with a hydraulic lift and cutting gear to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the prestigious institution on October 19th, fleeing with precious items estimated to be worth 88 million euros.

In a separate high-profile case, burglars recently forced their way into the French capital's Natural History Museum, making off with gold samples estimated at exceeding $1M. A woman from China, aged 24 was taken into custody recently in Barcelona, Spain in regarding the theft, according to legal authorities.

The string of thefts has generated apprehension in the nation regarding lax security at museums and other institutions housing valuable items.