Six Suspects Apprehended After 12 Million Euro Robbery on Gold Refining Lab in France

Six armed perpetrators equipped with assault rifles and handguns used explosive devices to force entry into a gold refining laboratory located in the city of Lyon, resulting in minor injuries to five staff members during what is being called the newest significant broad daylight robbery to hit France.

The daring raid occurred on Thursday afternoon, with officers quickly arresting the individuals believed responsible and retrieving the loot valued at approximately €12M (10.5 million pounds), according to officials.

Five workers of the gold refining company were slightly hurt as a result of the detonation, and three individuals were transported to hospital for assessment, officials confirmed. A total of twenty-eight staff were present on-site when the robbers attacked.

The suspects, believed to be seasoned offenders, were detained shortly after the incident in the neighboring community of Vénissieux, authorities revealed.

A woman involved involved in the robbery was also apprehended, officers confirmed.

“Six people who utilized explosives in a raid against a gold refining facility in Lyon were apprehended red-handed,” the French interior minister announced via X, praising officers for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were recovered as well.

The robbery occurred as French police on the same day detained five further people, among them a key figure, in connection with the recent audacious raid on the Louvre museum.

Many investigative personnel have been pursuing four robbers who employed a truck featuring an elevating platform and cutting gear to access a gallery on the first floor at the museum on 19 October, fleeing with jewelry valued at approximately €88 million.

In another notable incident, thieves last month entered illegally the Parisian museum of natural history, taking gold specimens estimated at exceeding $1M. A young Chinese female was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona, Spain in relation to the burglary, prosecutors stated.

The string of thefts has generated apprehension in the nation regarding inadequate security measures at cultural venues and other facilities containing precious artifacts.