Six Arrested Following €12 Million Robbery on Gold Processing Laboratory in the French Republic

A group of six individuals carrying military-grade weapons detonated charges to break into a precious metals processing plant located in Lyon, causing light wounds to five workers during what is being called the most recent prominent daytime heist to affect France.

The bold operation took place on Thursday late morning, with police forces swiftly apprehending the alleged criminals and securing the stolen items estimated to be worth €12M (£10.5 million), as stated by authorities.

Five employees of the gold refining company were slightly hurt due to the explosion, and three of them were transported to hospital for evaluation, the regional prefecture announced. A total of twenty-eight staff were present on-site when the perpetrators raided.

Those arrested, thought to be experienced criminals, were arrested shortly after the incident in the neighboring community of Vénissieux, France, according to investigative sources.

A female accomplice who took part in the robbery was likewise arrested, according to law enforcement.

“Six individuals who used detonations in an attack on a precious metals company in Lyon were apprehended red-handed,” the French interior minister stated online, lauding police for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Military-style weapons, pistols and explosive materials were also confiscated.

The raid happened as authorities on Thursday detained five further people, among them a key figure, in connection with this month's brazen raid on the Louvre museum.

Many investigative personnel have been searching for four perpetrators who used a vehicle with a hydraulic lift and cutting tools to access a gallery on the first floor at the museum on 19 October, fleeing with ornaments assessed at around 88 million euros.

In a separate high-profile case, robbers the previous month entered illegally the Parisian museum of natural history, making off with gold samples worth over $1 million. A woman from China, aged 24 was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona, Spain in connection with the break-in, prosecutors stated.

This series of robberies has raised concerns in the nation regarding insufficient protection at cultural venues and other facilities housing valuable items.