Six Individuals Detained After 12 Million Euro Heist on Gold Refining Lab in the French Republic

Six armed perpetrators equipped with military-grade weapons employed explosives to break into a gold treatment facility located in the city of Lyon, slightly injuring five employees during what appears to be the newest significant daylight theft to affect the country.

The audacious robbery took place on Thursday afternoon, with law enforcement authorities swiftly apprehending the alleged criminals and retrieving the loot valued at approximately €12M (£10.5M), officials reported.

Five staff members of the gold refining company were slightly hurt from the blast, and three individuals required hospital checks for evaluation, officials confirmed. Twenty-eight workers were present on-site when the thieves struck.

The individuals, considered career criminals, were detained a brief time later in the adjacent municipality of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.

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

“Six individuals who utilized explosives in an assault targeting a gold refining facility in Lyon, France were arrested at the scene,” France's security official declared on social media, commending law enforcement for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Military-style weapons, pistols and explosive materials were recovered as well.

The heist took place as authorities on Thursday arrested five more suspects, among them a key figure, in relation to this month's brazen Louvre museum robbery.

Many investigative personnel have been searching for four perpetrators who used a vehicle equipped with a moving lift and cutting gear to access a gallery on the first floor at the museum on October 19th, fleeing with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In a separate high-profile case, thieves last month forced their way into the Natural History Museum in Paris, stealing gold samples estimated at exceeding $1M. A young Chinese female was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona, Spain in relation to the burglary, prosecutors stated.

The string of thefts has generated apprehension in France regarding insufficient protection at museums and various establishments containing precious artifacts.