Six Individuals Detained Following 12 Million Euro Robbery on Precious Metals Facility in France

Six armed perpetrators carrying military-grade weapons employed explosives to force entry into a precious metals processing plant located in the city of Lyon, resulting in minor injuries to five workers during what is being called the newest significant broad daylight robbery to affect France.

The daring raid was carried out on Thursday afternoon, with police forces swiftly apprehending the alleged criminals and recovering the stolen goods assessed at around €12 million (£10.5M), officials reported.

Five workers of the precious metals facility received light wounds due to the explosion, and three of them were taken to a medical facility for assessment, officials confirmed. A total of twenty-eight staff were present on-site when the robbers attacked.

The individuals, considered experienced criminals, were arrested shortly after the incident in the adjacent municipality of the town of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.

A female participant involved in the robbery was also apprehended, a police source indicated.

“Six suspects who utilized explosives in an assault targeting a gold refining facility in Lyon were caught in the act,” the nation's interior minister stated online, commending law enforcement for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

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

The raid happened as law enforcement in France on that Thursday arrested five more suspects, among them a key figure, in relation to this month's brazen raid on the Louvre museum.

Many investigative personnel have been hunting four robbers who used a vehicle equipped with a moving lift and cutting tools to access a gallery on the first floor at the renowned museum on 19 October, making off with jewelry valued at approximately 88 million euros.

In a different significant robbery, thieves last month broke into the Natural History Museum in Paris, taking gold specimens estimated at exceeding $1M. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona, Spain in relation to the burglary, officials confirmed.

The string of thefts has raised concerns in France regarding insufficient protection at cultural venues and other facilities housing valuable items.