Six Suspects Apprehended Following €12 Million Heist on Gold Refining Lab in France

A team of six suspects carrying military-grade weapons used explosive devices to breach the security of a gold refining laboratory located in Lyon, causing light wounds to five staff members during what is being called the latest high-profile broad daylight robbery to hit the nation.

The audacious robbery occurred on the afternoon of Thursday, with law enforcement authorities swiftly apprehending the alleged criminals and securing the stolen items assessed at around €12 million (£10.5M), as stated by authorities.

Five staff members of the precious metals facility received light wounds as a result of the detonation, and three employees required hospital checks for examination, the regional prefecture announced. A total of twenty-eight staff were present on-site when the robbers attacked.

The individuals, considered career criminals, were detained a brief time later in the neighboring community of the town of Vénissieux, authorities revealed.

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

“Six suspects who utilized explosives in an assault targeting a gold refining facility in Lyon were arrested at the scene,” France's security official announced via X, lauding police for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.

High-caliber firearms, handguns and detonation devices were likewise seized.

The heist took place as authorities on that Thursday apprehended five additional individuals, including a primary suspect, in relation to the recent audacious theft at the Louvre.

Dozens of investigators have been pursuing four perpetrators who utilized a lorry featuring an elevating platform and cutting equipment to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the prestigious institution on October 19th, fleeing with ornaments assessed at around €88M.

In a separate high-profile case, robbers the previous month forced their way into the French capital's Natural History Museum, taking gold specimens worth over $1 million. A woman from China, aged 24 was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona in connection with the break-in, according to legal authorities.

The string of thefts has generated apprehension in the nation regarding lax security at museums and various establishments holding high-value objects.