Six Individuals Detained Following €12M Heist on Precious Metals Facility in France

A group of six individuals equipped with military-grade weapons used explosive devices to breach the security of a gold refining laboratory located in Lyon, France, resulting in minor injuries to five staff members during what appears to be the latest high-profile daytime heist to hit the nation.

The daring raid was carried out on Thursday afternoon, with officers quickly arresting the alleged criminals and retrieving the loot estimated to be worth 12 million euros (10.5 million pounds), as stated by authorities.

Five workers of the precious metals facility sustained minor injuries due to the explosion, and three employees were transported to hospital for assessment, officials confirmed. Twenty-eight employees were at the location when the thieves struck.

The individuals, thought to be experienced criminals, were arrested a brief time later in the nearby town of Vénissieux, authorities revealed.

A female participant involved in the heist was likewise arrested, officers confirmed.

“Six people who employed explosive devices in a raid against a precious metals company in the Lyon area were caught in the act,” the French interior minister announced via X, commending law enforcement for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were likewise seized.

The heist took place as law enforcement in France on Thursday detained five further people, among them a key figure, in regarding this month's brazen raid on the Louvre museum.

Numerous detectives have been searching for four thieves who utilized a lorry featuring an elevating platform and cutting equipment to breach a first-floor gallery at the museum on October 19th, escaping with precious items estimated to be worth €88 million.

In another notable incident, thieves last month entered illegally the French capital's Natural History Museum, stealing gold samples worth over $1 million. A young Chinese female was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona, Spain in relation to the burglary, prosecutors stated.

This series of robberies has raised concerns in the nation regarding inadequate security measures at museums and other institutions containing precious artifacts.