Six Arrested After €12 Million Armed Raid on Precious Metals Facility in France

A group of six individuals using military-grade weapons detonated charges to break into a precious metals processing plant located in Lyon, France, resulting in minor injuries to five workers during what is being called the newest significant daylight theft to hit the nation.

The audacious robbery was carried out on Thursday afternoon, with officers rapidly detaining the suspected perpetrators and securing the stolen items assessed at around €12 million (10.5 million pounds), according to officials.

Five workers of the precious metals facility were slightly hurt due to the explosion, and three of them were taken to a medical facility for examination, according to regional authorities. Twenty-eight employees were inside the facility when the perpetrators raided.

The suspects, believed to be experienced criminals, were detained a brief time later in the neighboring community of the town of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.

A female participant who participated in the raid was also apprehended, according to law enforcement.

“Six individuals who utilized explosives in an assault targeting a precious metals company in Lyon were arrested at the scene,” the nation's interior minister stated online, commending law enforcement for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.

High-caliber firearms, handguns and detonation devices were also confiscated.

The heist took place as law enforcement in France on the same day arrested five more suspects, among them a key figure, in connection with the recent audacious theft at the Louvre.

Numerous detectives have been pursuing four robbers who employed a truck equipped with a moving lift and cutting gear to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the prestigious institution on October 19th, fleeing with ornaments assessed at around €88 million.

In a different significant robbery, robbers the previous month broke into the French capital's Natural History Museum, taking gold specimens worth over $1 million. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was taken into custody recently in Barcelona, Spain in relation to the burglary, according to legal authorities.

This series of robberies has sparked worry in the country regarding insufficient protection at museums and various establishments housing valuable items.