Six Arrested Following €12 Million Robbery on Gold Refining Lab in France

A group of six individuals using military-grade weapons detonated charges to break into a gold treatment facility located in the city of Lyon, resulting in minor injuries to five staff members during described as the newest significant broad daylight robbery to occur in France.

The bold operation occurred on Thursday afternoon, with law enforcement authorities quickly arresting the alleged criminals and securing the stolen items estimated to be worth €12 million (£10.5M), according to officials.

Five staff members of the precious metals facility were slightly hurt due to the explosion, and three of them were taken to a medical facility for examination, according to regional authorities. A total of twenty-eight staff were present on-site when the robbers attacked.

Those arrested, believed to be seasoned offenders, were taken into custody soon afterwards in the nearby town of Vénissieux, France, according to investigative sources.

A female accomplice involved in the raid was also apprehended, officers confirmed.

“Six people who employed explosive devices in an attack on a precious metals company in the Lyon area were caught in the act,” France's security official declared on social media, praising officers for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were also confiscated.

The raid happened as authorities on Thursday apprehended five additional individuals, among them a key figure, in connection with the bold raid on the Louvre museum.

Numerous detectives have been pursuing four robbers who employed a truck equipped with a moving lift and cutting equipment to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the prestigious institution on the nineteenth of October, escaping with jewelry valued at approximately 88 million euros.

In a separate high-profile case, robbers the previous month forced their way into the French capital's Natural History Museum, making off with gold samples estimated at exceeding $1M. A young Chinese female was taken into custody recently in the city of Barcelona in connection with the break-in, officials confirmed.

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