Six Suspects Apprehended After €12M Robbery on Gold Refining Lab in France

Six armed perpetrators equipped with assault rifles and handguns detonated charges to force entry into a gold refining laboratory located in the city of Lyon, causing light wounds to five employees during what appears to be the most recent prominent daytime heist to occur in France.

The audacious robbery took place on the afternoon of Thursday, with law enforcement authorities quickly arresting the alleged criminals and securing the stolen items estimated to be worth €12 million (10.5 million pounds), officials reported.

Five employees of the gold refining company received light wounds as a result of the detonation, and three individuals were taken to a medical facility for assessment, officials confirmed. Twenty-eight employees were present on-site when the thieves struck.

The suspects, believed to be experienced 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 who participated in the heist was taken into custody as well, according to law enforcement.

“Six people who utilized explosives in an attack on a gold refining facility in the Lyon area were caught in the act,” France's security official declared on social media, praising officers for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were recovered as well.

The raid happened as law enforcement in France on Thursday detained five further people, among them a key figure, in connection with this month's brazen raid on the Louvre museum.

Numerous detectives have been searching for four thieves who used a vehicle featuring an elevating platform and cutting equipment to access a gallery on the first floor at the renowned museum on 19 October, fleeing with ornaments assessed at around 88 million euros.

In a different significant robbery, robbers the previous month broke into the French capital's Natural History Museum, making off with gold samples worth over $1 million. A woman from China, aged 24 was arrested earlier this month in the city of Barcelona in connection with the break-in, prosecutors stated.

The string of thefts has sparked worry in the nation regarding insufficient protection at cultural venues and other facilities housing valuable items.