Six Suspects Apprehended After €12M Robbery on Gold Processing Laboratory in France

A group of six individuals using assault rifles and handguns detonated charges to break into a gold refining laboratory located in the city of Lyon, slightly injuring five employees during what appears to be the newest significant daytime heist to occur in France.

The audacious robbery was carried out on Thursday afternoon, with law enforcement authorities rapidly detaining the alleged criminals and securing the stolen items estimated to be worth 12 million euros (£10.5M), officials reported.

Five workers of the gold refining company sustained minor injuries from the blast, and three individuals were taken to a medical facility for examination, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight workers were present on-site when the robbers attacked.

The individuals, thought to be career criminals, were arrested soon afterwards in the neighboring community of Vénissieux, France, a source close to the investigation stated.

A female accomplice who took part in the heist was taken into custody as well, a police source indicated.

“Six suspects who employed explosive devices in a raid against a metals processing plant in Lyon, France were caught in the act,” France's security official declared on social media, commending law enforcement for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.

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

The heist took place as French police on the same day arrested five more suspects, featuring a main perpetrator, in regarding this month's brazen theft at the Louvre.

Many investigative personnel have been hunting four perpetrators who employed a truck with a hydraulic lift and cutting equipment to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the prestigious institution on October 19th, fleeing with precious items estimated to be worth 88 million euros.

In another notable incident, burglars recently entered illegally the Natural History Museum in Paris, stealing gold samples valued at more than one million dollars. A young Chinese female was taken into custody recently in Barcelona in regarding the theft, according to legal authorities.

The sequence of heists has sparked worry in France regarding lax security at cultural venues and other facilities containing precious artifacts.