Six Individuals Detained After 12 Million Euro Robbery on Precious Metals Facility in France
A group of six individuals equipped with high-powered firearms employed explosives to force entry into a gold refining laboratory located in Lyon, France, resulting in minor injuries to five employees during what appears to be the latest high-profile daylight theft to hit the country.
The audacious robbery was carried out on Thursday afternoon, with law enforcement authorities quickly arresting the alleged criminals and recovering the stolen goods assessed at around €12M (£10.5M), officials reported.
Five workers of Laboratoires Pourquery were slightly hurt due to the explosion, and three employees were taken to a medical facility for assessment, according to regional authorities. Twenty-eight employees were present on-site when the perpetrators raided.
The suspects, thought to be seasoned offenders, were taken into custody a brief time later in the neighboring community of VĂ©nissieux, France, according to investigative sources.
A female participant involved in the raid was taken into custody as well, officers confirmed.
“Six suspects who employed explosive devices in a raid against a metals processing plant in Lyon were arrested at the scene,” the nation's interior minister announced via X, lauding police for their “quick action, authority and management”.
Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were likewise seized.
The raid happened as law enforcement in France on the same day arrested five more suspects, among them a key figure, in regarding this month's brazen theft at the Louvre.
Dozens of investigators have been pursuing four robbers who utilized a lorry equipped with a moving lift and cutting equipment to breach a first-floor gallery at the renowned museum on October 19th, escaping with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.
In a separate high-profile case, thieves last month forced their way into the French capital's Natural History Museum, taking gold specimens worth over $1 million. A woman from China, aged 24 was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona in relation to the burglary, prosecutors stated.
This series of robberies has sparked worry in the country regarding insufficient protection at museums and other institutions holding high-value objects.
