Six Individuals Detained After 12 Million Euro Heist on Gold Processing Laboratory in the French Republic
A team of six suspects carrying military-grade weapons employed explosives to force entry into a gold treatment facility located in Lyon, causing light wounds to five employees during what appears to be the latest high-profile broad daylight robbery to affect the nation.
The bold operation occurred on Thursday late morning, with police forces rapidly detaining the suspected perpetrators and recovering the stolen goods assessed at around €12 million (£10.5 million), as stated by authorities.
Five staff members of the gold refining company were slightly hurt from the blast, and three individuals were taken to a medical facility for evaluation, officials confirmed. A total of twenty-eight staff were inside the facility when the robbers attacked.
The suspects, believed to be experienced criminals, were detained shortly after the incident in the neighboring community of the town of VĂ©nissieux, authorities revealed.
A female accomplice involved in the heist was likewise arrested, a police source indicated.
“Six people who utilized explosives in a raid against a precious metals company in Lyon were caught in the act,” France's security official declared on social media, praising officers for their “firmness, rapid response and command”.
Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were recovered as well.
The raid happened as authorities on Thursday apprehended five additional individuals, including a primary suspect, in relation to the recent audacious raid on the Louvre museum.
Numerous detectives have been hunting four thieves who used a vehicle equipped with a moving lift and cutting equipment to break into an upper-level exhibition space at the prestigious institution on the nineteenth of October, making off with precious items estimated to be worth €88 million.
In another notable incident, thieves last month entered illegally the French capital's Natural History Museum, making off with gold samples worth over $1 million. A woman from China, aged 24 was taken into custody recently in Barcelona in connection with the break-in, officials confirmed.
The string of thefts has generated apprehension in France regarding lax security at cultural venues and other facilities holding high-value objects.
