Six Arrested After €12M Armed Raid on Gold Processing Laboratory in France

A team of six suspects carrying high-powered firearms detonated charges to force entry into a gold refining laboratory located in Lyon, France, slightly injuring five staff members during what appears to be the latest high-profile daylight theft to affect France.

The audacious robbery occurred on Thursday afternoon, with law enforcement authorities quickly arresting the alleged criminals and retrieving the loot valued at approximately 12 million euros (£10.5 million), as stated by authorities.

Five workers of Laboratoires Pourquery sustained minor injuries due to the explosion, and three employees were transported to hospital for assessment, officials confirmed. Twenty-eight workers were at the location when the perpetrators raided.

The suspects, believed to be experienced criminals, were arrested a brief time later in the adjacent municipality of the town of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.

A woman involved who took part in the heist was taken into custody as well, according to law enforcement.

“Six suspects who used detonations in an assault targeting a metals processing plant in Lyon were caught in the act,” the French interior minister announced via X, commending law enforcement for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Military-style weapons, pistols and explosive materials were likewise seized.

The raid happened as French police on Thursday detained five further people, among them a key figure, in relation to the recent audacious raid on the Louvre museum.

Many investigative personnel have been searching for four thieves who employed a truck featuring an elevating platform and cutting gear to access a gallery on the first floor at the prestigious institution on 19 October, making off with ornaments assessed at around 88 million euros.

In another notable incident, robbers the previous month forced their way into the Natural History Museum in Paris, stealing gold samples worth over $1 million. A young Chinese female was apprehended in the current month in the city of Barcelona in connection with the break-in, prosecutors stated.

The string of thefts has sparked worry in France regarding insufficient protection at museums and various establishments containing precious artifacts.