Six Arrested After €12M Robbery on Gold Refining Lab in France

A group of six individuals carrying military-grade weapons detonated charges to break into a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, slightly injuring five workers during what appears to be the latest high-profile daytime heist to hit the country.

The bold operation occurred on the afternoon of Thursday, with police forces rapidly detaining the alleged criminals and retrieving the loot estimated to be worth 12 million euros (10.5 million pounds), according to officials.

Five employees of Laboratoires Pourquery sustained minor injuries as a result of the detonation, and three individuals were taken to a medical facility for evaluation, according to regional authorities. Twenty-eight employees were at the location when the perpetrators raided.

Those arrested, thought to be career criminals, were taken into custody shortly after the incident in the neighboring community of the town of Vénissieux, authorities revealed.

A woman involved involved in the heist was also apprehended, officers confirmed.

“Six individuals who used detonations in an assault targeting a precious metals company in Lyon, France were arrested at the scene,” the French interior minister stated online, lauding police for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

Military-style weapons, pistols and explosive materials were recovered as well.

The robbery occurred as French police on Thursday arrested five more suspects, including a primary suspect, in connection with the bold theft at the Louvre.

Many investigative personnel have been pursuing four thieves who employed a truck equipped with a moving lift and cutting equipment to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the museum on the nineteenth of October, making off with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In another notable incident, 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 taken into custody recently in the city of Barcelona in relation to the burglary, according to legal authorities.

The sequence of heists has raised concerns in France regarding inadequate security measures at cultural venues and other facilities holding high-value objects.