Six Individuals Detained Following €12M Armed Raid on Precious Metals Facility in France

A team of six suspects equipped with assault rifles and handguns employed explosives to force entry into a precious metals processing plant located in Lyon, causing light wounds to five employees during described as the latest high-profile daytime heist to occur in the nation.

The audacious robbery was carried out on Thursday afternoon, with police forces swiftly apprehending the suspected perpetrators and recovering the stolen goods valued at approximately 12 million euros (£10.5 million), officials reported.

Five workers of Laboratoires Pourquery sustained minor injuries from the blast, and three employees were transported to hospital for evaluation, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight employees were present on-site when the perpetrators raided.

Those arrested, thought to be experienced criminals, were detained shortly after the incident in the nearby town of the town of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.

A woman involved involved in the raid was taken into custody as well, a police source indicated.

“Six suspects who employed explosive devices 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 recovered as well.

The raid happened as authorities on Thursday apprehended five additional individuals, including a primary suspect, in relation to the bold theft at the Louvre.

Dozens of investigators have been searching for four robbers who utilized a lorry featuring an elevating platform and cutting equipment to access a gallery on the first floor at the prestigious institution on October 19th, making off with precious items estimated to be worth €88 million.

In another notable incident, thieves last month broke into the Parisian museum of natural history, taking gold specimens valued at more than one million dollars. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona in regarding the theft, officials confirmed.

The string of thefts has sparked worry in the country regarding inadequate security measures at cultural venues and other facilities housing valuable items.