Six Suspects Apprehended After €12M Heist on Precious Metals Facility in the French Republic

A team of six suspects using assault rifles and handguns used explosive devices to force entry into a precious metals processing plant located in Lyon, slightly injuring five workers during what appears to be the latest high-profile daytime heist to affect the country.

The bold operation took place on Thursday late morning, with officers quickly arresting the individuals believed responsible and recovering the stolen goods assessed at around €12 million (£10.5 million), as stated by authorities.

Five staff members of Laboratoires Pourquery sustained minor injuries from the blast, and three employees required hospital checks for assessment, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight employees were present on-site when the robbers attacked.

The individuals, thought to be experienced criminals, were arrested soon afterwards in the nearby town of the town of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.

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

“Six suspects who utilized explosives in an assault targeting a gold refining facility in Lyon were apprehended red-handed,” the nation's interior minister announced via X, lauding police for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were recovered as well.

The heist took place as authorities on that Thursday apprehended five additional individuals, including a primary suspect, in connection with the bold theft at the Louvre.

Dozens of investigators have been pursuing four thieves who used a vehicle featuring an elevating platform and cutting tools to access a gallery on the first floor at the renowned museum on 19 October, making off with jewelry valued at approximately €88 million.

In another notable incident, thieves last month broke into the French capital's Natural History Museum, making off with gold samples worth over $1 million. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona, Spain in connection with the break-in, officials confirmed.

The sequence of heists has raised concerns in France regarding lax security at cultural venues and other facilities containing precious artifacts.