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

Six armed perpetrators using high-powered firearms detonated charges to break into a gold treatment facility located in the city of Lyon, slightly injuring five workers during what is being called the latest high-profile broad daylight robbery to affect France.

The bold operation occurred on Thursday late morning, with law enforcement authorities quickly arresting the individuals believed responsible and securing the stolen items assessed at around €12M (10.5 million pounds), as stated by authorities.

Five workers of the gold refining company received light wounds due to the explosion, and three employees were taken to a medical facility for evaluation, according to regional authorities. Twenty-eight employees were at the location when the thieves struck.

The individuals, believed to be seasoned offenders, were detained a brief time later 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 individuals who used detonations in a raid against a gold refining facility in Lyon were arrested at the scene,” France's security official stated online, praising officers for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.

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

The heist took place as French police on the same day arrested five more suspects, including a primary suspect, in connection with the recent audacious raid on the Louvre museum.

Dozens of investigators have been pursuing four thieves who utilized a lorry featuring an elevating platform and cutting gear to access a gallery on the first floor at the renowned museum on October 19th, escaping with ornaments assessed at around 88 million euros.

In a separate high-profile case, burglars recently forced their way into the French capital's Natural History Museum, making off with gold samples estimated at exceeding $1M. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona, Spain in connection with the break-in, prosecutors stated.

The sequence of heists has raised concerns in the nation regarding insufficient protection at museums and various establishments holding high-value objects.