Six Suspects Apprehended After €12 Million Armed Raid on Gold Processing Laboratory in the French Republic

A group of six individuals using military-grade weapons detonated charges to force entry into a gold refining laboratory located in the city of Lyon, resulting in minor injuries to five employees during what appears to be the newest significant daytime heist to hit France.

The daring raid occurred on the afternoon of Thursday, with officers swiftly apprehending the suspected perpetrators and retrieving the loot assessed at around €12 million (10.5 million pounds), as stated by authorities.

Five employees of Laboratoires Pourquery received light wounds as a result of the detonation, and three of them required hospital checks for examination, according to regional authorities. Twenty-eight employees were present on-site when the robbers attacked.

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

A woman involved who took part in the raid was taken into custody as well, officers confirmed.

“Six individuals who employed explosive devices in a raid against a gold refining facility in Lyon, France were apprehended red-handed,” France's security official stated online, commending law enforcement for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

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

The robbery occurred as authorities on the same day arrested five more suspects, featuring a main perpetrator, in regarding the recent audacious raid on the Louvre museum.

Dozens of investigators have been searching for four robbers who utilized a lorry equipped with a moving lift and cutting gear to breach a first-floor gallery at the prestigious institution on 19 October, making off with ornaments assessed at around €88M.

In a different significant robbery, robbers the previous month entered illegally the Natural History Museum in Paris, making off with gold samples worth over $1 million. A woman from China, aged 24 was taken into custody recently in Barcelona in relation to the burglary, officials confirmed.

This series of robberies has raised concerns in the country regarding lax security at museums and other institutions holding high-value objects.