Six Individuals Detained After €12M Heist on Gold Processing Laboratory in the French Republic

A team of six suspects carrying military-grade weapons used explosive devices to force entry into a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, France, slightly injuring five staff members during what appears to be the newest significant daylight theft to occur in the nation.

The bold operation occurred on Thursday late morning, with officers rapidly detaining the suspected perpetrators and securing the stolen items estimated to be worth 12 million euros (£10.5M), as stated by authorities.

Five employees of Laboratoires Pourquery received light wounds due to the explosion, and three of them were taken to a medical facility for assessment, the regional prefecture announced. A total of twenty-eight staff were inside the facility when the thieves struck.

The individuals, considered career criminals, were detained soon afterwards in the adjacent municipality of Vénissieux, France, a source close to the investigation stated.

A female accomplice who took part in the robbery was taken into custody as well, according to law enforcement.

“Six suspects who used detonations in an assault targeting a precious metals company in the Lyon area were arrested at the scene,” France's security official stated online, praising officers for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.

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

The robbery occurred as authorities on Thursday arrested five more suspects, featuring a main perpetrator, in connection with the recent audacious theft at the Louvre.

Many investigative personnel have been searching for four perpetrators who used a vehicle with a hydraulic lift and cutting equipment to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the museum on 19 October, making off with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In another notable incident, burglars recently entered illegally the Parisian museum of natural history, making off with gold samples valued at more than one million dollars. A woman from China, aged 24 was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona, Spain in connection with the break-in, prosecutors stated.

The string of thefts has raised concerns in the nation regarding inadequate security measures at cultural venues and other facilities housing valuable items.