Six Individuals Detained Following 12 Million Euro Armed Raid on Gold Refining Lab in France

A team of six suspects carrying high-powered firearms detonated charges to break into a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, France, resulting in minor injuries to five employees during what is being called the newest significant daylight theft to hit France.

The daring raid took place on Thursday late morning, with police forces quickly arresting the individuals believed responsible and retrieving the loot valued at approximately €12 million (£10.5M), as stated by authorities.

Five workers of the gold refining company received light wounds as a result of the detonation, and three of them were transported to hospital for assessment, according to regional authorities. Twenty-eight workers were present on-site when the robbers attacked.

Those arrested, thought to be experienced criminals, were taken into custody soon afterwards in the nearby town of Vénissieux, a source close to the investigation stated.

A female participant who took part in the robbery was likewise arrested, a police source indicated.

“Six people who employed explosive devices in an assault targeting a metals processing plant in the Lyon area were caught in the act,” France's security official announced via X, lauding police for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were recovered as well.

The raid happened as authorities on Thursday arrested five more suspects, among them a key figure, in regarding this month's brazen theft at the Louvre.

Many investigative personnel have been pursuing four perpetrators who employed a truck featuring an elevating platform and cutting tools to access a gallery on the first floor at the prestigious institution on the nineteenth of October, making off with jewelry valued at approximately 88 million euros.

In a separate high-profile case, thieves last month forced their way into the French capital's Natural History Museum, stealing gold samples valued at more than one million dollars. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was arrested earlier this month in the city of Barcelona in regarding the theft, according to legal authorities.

The string of thefts has sparked worry in the country regarding insufficient protection at museums and other institutions holding high-value objects.