Six Arrested Following 12 Million Euro Heist on Precious Metals Facility in the French Republic

A group of six individuals equipped with military-grade weapons employed explosives to break into a gold refining laboratory located in the city of Lyon, slightly injuring five employees during what is being called the most recent prominent daylight theft to hit the nation.

The daring raid was carried out on the afternoon of Thursday, with police forces rapidly detaining the alleged criminals and recovering the stolen goods assessed at around 12 million euros (£10.5M), according to officials.

Five employees of Laboratoires Pourquery were slightly hurt as a result of the detonation, and three employees required hospital checks for evaluation, officials confirmed. A total of twenty-eight staff were inside the facility when the thieves struck.

The suspects, thought to be seasoned offenders, were detained shortly after the incident in the neighboring community of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.

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

“Six people who used detonations in an attack on a metals processing plant in Lyon, France were caught in the act,” France's security official stated online, lauding police for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.

Military-style weapons, pistols and explosive materials were likewise seized.

The robbery occurred as authorities on that Thursday detained five further people, among them a key figure, in relation to the recent audacious theft at the Louvre.

Many investigative personnel have been pursuing four robbers who employed a truck equipped with a moving lift and cutting tools to access a gallery on the first floor at the renowned museum on 19 October, escaping with precious items estimated to be worth €88 million.

In another notable incident, thieves last month entered illegally the French capital's Natural History Museum, making off with gold samples worth over $1 million. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona, Spain in connection with the break-in, according to legal authorities.

The string of thefts has raised concerns in France regarding lax security at cultural venues and other facilities holding high-value objects.