Six Individuals Detained Following 12 Million Euro Robbery on Precious Metals Facility in the French Republic

A team of six suspects using assault rifles and handguns employed explosives to breach the security of a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, France, causing light wounds to five employees during what is being called the latest high-profile daytime heist to hit France.

The bold operation took place on Thursday afternoon, with police forces quickly arresting the alleged criminals and recovering the stolen goods assessed at around €12M (10.5 million pounds), according to officials.

Five employees of the precious metals facility received light wounds due to the explosion, and three individuals required hospital checks for assessment, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight employees were at the location when the perpetrators raided.

The individuals, considered seasoned offenders, were arrested soon afterwards in the adjacent municipality of Vénissieux, France, according to investigative sources.

A female participant who participated in the heist was taken into custody as well, officers confirmed.

“Six suspects who employed explosive devices in an assault targeting a gold refining facility in Lyon were arrested at the scene,” the French interior minister stated online, praising officers for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

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

The raid happened as law enforcement in France on Thursday arrested five more suspects, including a primary suspect, in regarding this month's brazen theft at the Louvre.

Many investigative personnel have been hunting four robbers who employed a truck with a hydraulic lift and cutting equipment to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the renowned museum on 19 October, fleeing with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In another notable incident, thieves last month entered illegally the Natural History Museum in Paris, taking gold specimens worth over $1 million. A woman from China, aged 24 was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona, Spain in connection with the break-in, officials confirmed.

The string of thefts has generated apprehension in the country regarding inadequate security measures at museums and various establishments containing precious artifacts.