Six Suspects Apprehended Following 12 Million Euro Armed Raid on Precious Metals Facility in the French Republic
Six armed perpetrators using military-grade weapons detonated charges to break into a precious metals processing plant located in Lyon, resulting in minor injuries to five staff members during described as the newest significant broad daylight robbery to occur in the nation.
The audacious robbery took place on Thursday late morning, with law enforcement authorities quickly arresting the suspected perpetrators and retrieving the loot valued at approximately 12 million euros (10.5 million pounds), as stated by authorities.
Five staff members of Laboratoires Pourquery were slightly hurt from the blast, and three of them required hospital checks for evaluation, officials confirmed. Twenty-eight workers were inside the facility when the perpetrators raided.
The suspects, considered experienced criminals, were taken into custody soon afterwards in the adjacent municipality of VĂ©nissieux, a source close to the investigation stated.
A woman involved who participated in the robbery was also apprehended, according to law enforcement.
“Six people who employed explosive devices in an assault targeting a metals processing plant in the Lyon area were apprehended red-handed,” France's security official announced via X, praising officers for their “quick action, authority and management”.
High-caliber firearms, handguns and detonation devices were also confiscated.
The raid happened as authorities on Thursday arrested five more suspects, featuring a main perpetrator, in connection with this month's brazen raid on the Louvre museum.
Dozens of investigators have been searching for four robbers who used a vehicle featuring an elevating platform and cutting gear to access a gallery on the first floor at the museum on the nineteenth of October, fleeing with jewelry valued at approximately €88M.
In another notable incident, thieves last month forced their way into the Parisian museum of natural history, making off with gold samples estimated at exceeding $1M. A young Chinese female was taken into custody recently in Barcelona, Spain in connection with the break-in, officials confirmed.
The string of thefts has generated apprehension in the country regarding lax security at cultural venues and other facilities housing valuable items.
