A group of six individuals carrying high-powered firearms used explosive devices to breach the security of a gold refining laboratory located in the city of Lyon, slightly injuring five workers during what appears to be the latest high-profile daylight theft to hit the nation.
The bold operation was carried out on the afternoon of Thursday, with police forces swiftly apprehending the individuals believed responsible and recovering the stolen goods valued at approximately €12M (£10.5M), according to officials.
Five staff members of Laboratoires Pourquery received light wounds as a result of the detonation, and three employees required hospital checks for evaluation, according to regional authorities. A total of twenty-eight staff were at the location when the perpetrators raided.
The individuals, considered career criminals, were detained soon afterwards in the nearby town of Vénissieux, France, a source close to the investigation stated.
A female participant involved in the heist was taken into custody as well, according to law enforcement.
“Six individuals who employed explosive devices in a raid against a gold refining facility in Lyon were arrested at the scene,” France's security official announced via X, lauding police for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.
High-caliber firearms, handguns and detonation devices were recovered as well.
The raid happened 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 perpetrators who utilized a lorry featuring an elevating platform and cutting gear to breach a first-floor gallery at the museum on October 19th, making off with ornaments assessed at around €88 million.
In another notable incident, thieves last month forced their way into the Natural History Museum in Paris, stealing gold samples estimated at exceeding $1M. A young Chinese female was apprehended in the current month in Barcelona, Spain in connection with the break-in, according to legal authorities.
This series of robberies has raised concerns in the nation regarding lax security at cultural venues and other facilities containing precious artifacts.
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