Six Arrested Following €12 Million Armed Raid on Precious Metals Facility in France

A group of six individuals equipped with high-powered firearms employed explosives to break into a precious metals processing plant located in Lyon, causing light wounds to five staff members during described as the latest high-profile broad daylight robbery to affect the nation.

The audacious robbery occurred on Thursday late morning, with law enforcement authorities quickly arresting the alleged criminals and securing the stolen items valued at approximately 12 million euros (£10.5 million), as stated by authorities.

Five workers of the gold refining company were slightly hurt from the blast, and three employees were taken to a medical facility for evaluation, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight employees were present on-site when the thieves struck.

The suspects, thought to be experienced criminals, were taken into custody a brief time later in the adjacent municipality of the town of Vénissieux, authorities revealed.

A woman involved who took part in the heist was likewise arrested, according to law enforcement.

“Six individuals who employed explosive devices in an attack on a metals processing plant in the Lyon area were caught in the act,” the French interior minister announced via X, lauding police for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were recovered as well.

The robbery occurred as law enforcement in France on the same day arrested five more suspects, including a primary suspect, in connection with the recent audacious Louvre museum robbery.

Many investigative personnel have been searching for four robbers who employed a truck featuring an elevating platform and cutting equipment to access a gallery on the first floor at the prestigious institution on the nineteenth of October, making off with ornaments assessed at around €88 million.

In another notable incident, robbers the previous month broke into the Parisian museum of natural history, making off with gold samples valued at more than one million dollars. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona in connection with the break-in, prosecutors stated.

This series of robberies has raised concerns in the country regarding inadequate security measures at museums and various establishments housing valuable items.