Six Arrested Following 12 Million Euro Robbery on Gold Refining Lab in France

A team of six suspects equipped with assault rifles and handguns used explosive devices to breach the security of a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, France, slightly injuring five employees during described as the newest significant broad daylight robbery to occur in the nation.

The audacious robbery took place on Thursday late morning, with law enforcement authorities swiftly apprehending the individuals believed responsible and recovering the stolen goods assessed at around €12 million (10.5 million pounds), according to officials.

Five workers of the precious metals facility were slightly hurt from the blast, and three employees were taken to a medical facility for examination, according to regional authorities. Twenty-eight employees were at the location when the perpetrators raided.

Those arrested, considered seasoned offenders, were detained shortly after the incident in the neighboring community of Vénissieux, France, according to investigative sources.

A woman involved who took part in the heist was taken into custody as well, officers confirmed.

“Six individuals who utilized explosives in an attack on a gold refining facility in Lyon, France were arrested at the scene,” the nation's interior minister declared on social media, praising officers for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

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

The heist took place as authorities on Thursday apprehended five additional individuals, featuring a main perpetrator, in connection with the recent audacious Louvre museum robbery.

Dozens of investigators have been searching for four robbers who used a vehicle featuring an elevating platform and cutting tools to access a gallery on the first floor at the prestigious institution on the nineteenth of October, escaping with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In a separate high-profile case, robbers the previous month forced their way into the French capital's Natural History Museum, stealing gold samples estimated at exceeding $1M. A woman from China, aged 24 was arrested earlier this month in the city of Barcelona in connection with the break-in, according to legal authorities.

The sequence of heists has generated apprehension in the country regarding lax security at museums and other institutions housing valuable items.