Six Individuals Detained Following €12M Heist on Precious Metals Facility in the French Republic

A group of six individuals carrying military-grade weapons used explosive devices to breach the security of a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, causing light wounds to five staff members during what is being called the most recent prominent daytime heist to hit the country.

The audacious robbery took place on Thursday afternoon, with officers swiftly apprehending the individuals believed responsible and recovering the stolen goods assessed at around €12M (£10.5M), as stated by authorities.

Five employees of Laboratoires Pourquery were slightly hurt as a result of the detonation, and three individuals were transported to hospital for examination, the regional prefecture announced. A total of twenty-eight staff were present on-site when the robbers attacked.

Those arrested, believed to be experienced criminals, were detained a brief time later in the adjacent municipality of the town of Vénissieux, authorities revealed.

A female participant who participated in the raid was taken into custody as well, a police source indicated.

“Six suspects who used detonations in a raid against a precious metals company in Lyon were caught in the act,” the nation's interior minister stated online, commending law enforcement for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.

Military-style weapons, pistols and explosive materials were also confiscated.

The heist took place as French police on Thursday arrested five more suspects, among them a key figure, in connection with the bold Louvre museum robbery.

Many investigative personnel have been hunting four thieves who utilized a lorry with a hydraulic lift and cutting gear to access a gallery on the first floor at the renowned museum on 19 October, escaping with ornaments assessed at around 88 million euros.

In a separate high-profile case, burglars recently entered illegally the French capital's Natural History Museum, making off with gold samples estimated at exceeding $1M. A woman from China, aged 24 was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona in connection with the break-in, officials confirmed.

This series of robberies has generated apprehension in France regarding lax security at museums and other institutions holding high-value objects.