Six Individuals Detained After €12M Robbery on Precious Metals Facility in the French Republic

Six armed perpetrators equipped with military-grade weapons used explosive devices to force entry into a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, resulting in minor injuries to five workers during what appears to be the newest significant broad daylight robbery to hit France.

The audacious robbery was carried out on Thursday afternoon, with officers swiftly apprehending the alleged criminals and recovering the stolen goods estimated to be worth €12 million (10.5 million pounds), as stated by authorities.

Five staff members of the precious metals facility received light wounds from the blast, and three employees were transported to hospital for assessment, according to regional authorities. A total of twenty-eight staff were at the location when the thieves struck.

The suspects, considered experienced criminals, were arrested shortly after the incident in the nearby town of Vénissieux, France, according to investigative sources.

A female accomplice involved in the raid was taken into custody as well, according to law enforcement.

“Six suspects who utilized explosives in a raid against a metals processing plant in Lyon, France were arrested at the scene,” the nation's interior minister stated online, commending law enforcement for their “quick action, authority and management”.

Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were also confiscated.

The raid happened as law enforcement in France on the same day apprehended five additional individuals, among them a key figure, in regarding the recent audacious raid on the Louvre museum.

Many investigative personnel have been pursuing four perpetrators who utilized a lorry with a hydraulic lift and cutting equipment to breach a first-floor gallery at the museum on October 19th, escaping with precious items estimated to be worth €88M.

In a separate high-profile case, burglars recently entered illegally the French capital's Natural History Museum, taking gold specimens valued at more than one million dollars. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was taken into custody recently in Barcelona in relation to the burglary, according to legal authorities.

The string of thefts has generated apprehension in the nation regarding lax security at cultural venues and other facilities containing precious artifacts.