Six Suspects Apprehended Following €12 Million Heist on Gold Processing Laboratory in the French Republic

Six armed perpetrators using military-grade weapons detonated charges to force entry into a precious metals processing plant located in Lyon, France, causing light wounds to five staff members during described as the most recent prominent daytime heist to hit the nation.

The daring raid was carried out on Thursday afternoon, with police forces swiftly apprehending the individuals believed responsible and securing the stolen items assessed at around €12 million (£10.5M), officials reported.

Five staff members of the gold refining company were slightly hurt as a result of the detonation, and three of them were transported to hospital for evaluation, officials confirmed. Twenty-eight workers were at the location when the robbers attacked.

Those arrested, thought to be experienced criminals, were arrested a brief time later in the nearby town of Vénissieux, a source close to the investigation stated.

A female accomplice who participated in the raid was also apprehended, officers confirmed.

“Six individuals who employed explosive devices in a raid against a precious metals company in Lyon, France were apprehended red-handed,” France's security official stated online, commending law enforcement for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were also confiscated.

The heist took place as law enforcement in France on the same day arrested five more suspects, including a primary suspect, in connection with the bold Louvre museum robbery.

Many investigative personnel have been hunting four robbers who utilized a lorry with a hydraulic lift and cutting tools to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the prestigious institution on October 19th, fleeing with jewelry valued at approximately 88 million euros.

In a different significant robbery, robbers the previous month entered illegally the Natural History Museum in Paris, 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, prosecutors stated.

The string of thefts has sparked worry in the nation regarding insufficient protection at museums and various establishments holding high-value objects.