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

A team of six suspects carrying military-grade weapons used explosive devices to breach the security of a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, slightly injuring five employees during what appears to be the most recent prominent daylight theft to affect the nation.

The bold operation was carried out on the afternoon of Thursday, with law enforcement authorities rapidly detaining the individuals believed responsible and retrieving the loot assessed at around €12 million (£10.5M), according to officials.

Five employees of Laboratoires Pourquery were slightly hurt due to the explosion, and three individuals were transported to hospital for assessment, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight workers were present on-site when the robbers attacked.

Those arrested, believed to be career criminals, were detained soon afterwards in the neighboring community of the town of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.

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

“Six suspects who employed explosive devices in an assault targeting a gold refining facility in Lyon were arrested at the scene,” the French interior minister declared on social media, praising officers for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were recovered as well.

The robbery occurred as law enforcement in France on Thursday apprehended five additional individuals, including a primary suspect, in regarding this month's brazen theft at the Louvre.

Many investigative personnel have been hunting four perpetrators who used a vehicle featuring an elevating platform and cutting equipment to access a gallery on the first floor at the prestigious institution on October 19th, escaping with jewelry valued at approximately €88 million.

In a different significant robbery, burglars recently entered illegally the Parisian museum of natural history, stealing gold samples valued at more than one million dollars. A young Chinese female was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona in regarding the theft, according to legal authorities.

The string of thefts has sparked worry in the nation regarding insufficient protection at museums and various establishments containing precious artifacts.