Six Arrested After €12M Armed Raid on Precious Metals Facility in France

A team of six suspects using assault rifles and handguns detonated charges to breach the security of a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, France, slightly injuring five workers during described as the latest high-profile daytime heist to hit the country.

The bold operation occurred on Thursday late morning, with officers swiftly apprehending the individuals believed responsible and securing the stolen items estimated to be worth 12 million euros (10.5 million pounds), as stated by authorities.

Five staff members of the precious metals facility received light wounds due to the explosion, and three individuals were transported to hospital for evaluation, according to regional authorities. Twenty-eight employees were inside the facility when the thieves struck.

Those arrested, considered career criminals, were arrested a brief time later in the adjacent municipality of the town of Vénissieux, a source close to the investigation stated.

A woman involved involved in the robbery was also apprehended, officers confirmed.

“Six suspects who utilized explosives in an assault targeting a precious metals company in the Lyon area were arrested at the scene,” the French interior minister declared on social media, lauding police for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were recovered as well.

The raid happened as authorities on Thursday arrested five more suspects, among them a key figure, in regarding the recent audacious theft at the Louvre.

Numerous detectives have been pursuing four thieves who utilized a lorry featuring an elevating platform and cutting gear to breach a first-floor gallery at the prestigious institution on the nineteenth of October, making off with jewelry valued at approximately €88M.

In another notable incident, thieves last month forced their way into the Natural History Museum in Paris, stealing gold samples estimated at exceeding $1M. A young Chinese female was taken into custody recently in the city of Barcelona in relation to the burglary, according to legal authorities.

The string of thefts has sparked worry in France regarding insufficient protection at museums and various establishments holding high-value objects.