Six Arrested Following €12M Robbery on Precious Metals Facility in France

A group of six individuals using high-powered firearms used explosive devices to breach the security of a precious metals processing plant located in Lyon, causing light wounds to five workers during what is being called the newest significant daylight theft to occur in the nation.

The daring raid was carried out on Thursday late morning, with police forces swiftly apprehending the individuals believed responsible and retrieving the loot valued at approximately 12 million euros (10.5 million pounds), according to officials.

Five workers of the precious metals facility sustained minor injuries from the blast, and three individuals were taken to a medical facility for evaluation, according to regional authorities. Twenty-eight employees were present on-site when the perpetrators raided.

The suspects, believed to be seasoned offenders, were arrested soon afterwards in the adjacent municipality of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.

A female participant who took part in the robbery was also apprehended, officers confirmed.

“Six individuals who employed explosive devices in a raid against a precious metals company in Lyon were arrested at the scene,” France's security official announced via X, praising officers for their “quick action, authority and management”.

High-caliber firearms, handguns and detonation devices were likewise seized.

The robbery occurred as French police on the same day apprehended five additional individuals, including a primary suspect, in relation to this month's brazen theft at the Louvre.

Dozens of investigators have been pursuing four robbers who utilized a lorry featuring an elevating platform and cutting tools to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the renowned museum on October 19th, fleeing with precious items estimated to be worth 88 million euros.

In another notable incident, burglars recently broke into the French capital's Natural History Museum, taking gold specimens estimated at exceeding $1M. A young Chinese female was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona, Spain in regarding the theft, prosecutors stated.

This series of robberies has generated apprehension in the country regarding inadequate security measures at museums and other institutions holding high-value objects.