Six Arrested After €12 Million Armed Raid on Precious Metals Facility in France
Six armed perpetrators using high-powered firearms detonated charges to force entry into a precious metals processing plant located in the city of Lyon, slightly injuring five workers during described as the most recent prominent daytime heist to hit the country.
The bold operation was carried out on Thursday late morning, with law enforcement authorities rapidly detaining the alleged criminals and recovering the stolen goods valued at approximately €12M (10.5 million pounds), according to officials.
Five employees of the gold refining company were slightly hurt due to the explosion, and three individuals were taken to a medical facility for examination, the regional prefecture announced. Twenty-eight workers were at the location when the thieves struck.
The suspects, thought to be career criminals, were detained a brief time later in the neighboring community of Vénissieux, according to investigative sources.
A female accomplice who participated in the raid was likewise arrested, according to law enforcement.
“Six people who used detonations in an assault targeting a precious metals company in Lyon were arrested at the scene,” the French interior minister declared on social media, commending law enforcement for their “quick action, authority and management”.
Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were likewise seized.
The heist took place as French police on Thursday detained five further people, including a primary suspect, in relation to this month's brazen Louvre museum robbery.
Dozens of investigators have been hunting four perpetrators who used a vehicle with a hydraulic lift and cutting equipment to access a gallery on the first floor at the prestigious institution on October 19th, fleeing with ornaments assessed at around €88M.
In a separate high-profile case, burglars recently entered illegally the French capital's Natural History Museum, taking gold specimens estimated at exceeding $1M. A woman from China, aged 24 was arrested earlier this month in Barcelona, Spain in regarding the theft, prosecutors stated.
The sequence of heists has sparked worry in the nation regarding lax security at museums and various establishments housing valuable items.
