Six Arrested After 12 Million Euro Heist on Gold Processing Laboratory in France
A group of six individuals equipped with assault rifles and handguns employed explosives to force entry into a gold refining laboratory located in the city of Lyon, slightly injuring five workers during described as the newest significant daylight theft to occur in the country.
The audacious robbery was carried out on Thursday late morning, with law enforcement authorities swiftly apprehending the individuals believed responsible and securing the stolen items estimated to be worth 12 million euros (10.5 million pounds), as stated by authorities.
Five staff members of the precious metals facility received light wounds from the blast, and three employees were taken to a medical facility for evaluation, the regional prefecture announced. A total of twenty-eight staff were present on-site when the robbers attacked.
The suspects, considered seasoned offenders, were detained shortly after the incident in the neighboring community of Vénissieux, France, according to investigative sources.
A female participant involved in the heist was also apprehended, officers confirmed.
“Six people who used detonations in a raid against a metals processing plant in Lyon, France were arrested at the scene,” the nation's interior minister announced via X, lauding police for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.
High-caliber firearms, handguns and detonation devices were recovered as well.
The robbery occurred as French police on the same day arrested five more suspects, including a primary suspect, in relation to the recent audacious theft at the Louvre.
Numerous detectives have been searching for four thieves who employed a truck featuring an elevating platform and cutting tools to access a gallery on the first floor at the prestigious institution on 19 October, fleeing with ornaments assessed at around 88 million euros.
In another notable incident, burglars recently broke into the Natural History Museum in Paris, taking gold specimens valued at more than one million dollars. A woman from China, aged 24 was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona, Spain in regarding the theft, officials confirmed.
This series of robberies has generated apprehension in the nation regarding lax security at cultural venues and other facilities containing precious artifacts.
