Six Arrested After 12 Million Euro Robbery on Precious Metals Facility in France
A group of six individuals carrying high-powered firearms used explosive devices to break into a gold refining laboratory located in Lyon, France, slightly injuring five employees during what is being called the newest significant daytime heist to affect the nation.
The daring raid took place on Thursday afternoon, with law enforcement authorities quickly arresting the suspected perpetrators and securing the stolen items assessed at around €12 million (£10.5 million), according to officials.
Five staff members of the precious metals facility received light wounds due to the explosion, and three of them were taken to a medical facility for evaluation, officials confirmed. A total of twenty-eight staff were present on-site when the perpetrators raided.
Those arrested, believed to be experienced criminals, were detained a brief time later in the nearby town of Vénissieux, France, according to investigative sources.
A woman involved involved in the robbery was also apprehended, a police source indicated.
“Six suspects who used detonations in a raid against a precious metals company in Lyon were apprehended red-handed,” France's security official announced via X, lauding police for their “quick action, authority and management”.
Military-style weapons, pistols and explosive materials were also confiscated.
The raid happened as law enforcement in France on the same day apprehended five additional individuals, among them a key figure, in relation to the recent audacious Louvre museum robbery.
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 October 19th, escaping with precious items estimated to be worth €88 million.
In a separate high-profile case, burglars recently forced their way into the Natural History Museum in Paris, taking gold specimens valued at more than one million dollars. A young Chinese female was taken into custody recently in the city of Barcelona in connection with the break-in, prosecutors stated.
This series of robberies has sparked worry in France regarding inadequate security measures at museums and various establishments holding high-value objects.