Six arrested after Lyon gold refinery raid, 12m euros recovered

Six men in military-style gear used explosives and firearms to break into a precious-metals laboratory in Lyon on Thursday afternoon, triggering a police operation that resulted in the suspects' arrest and the recovery of the stolen material, authorities said. The attack at Laboratoires Pourquery, a gold-refining facility in the city center, took place around 2 p.m., according to local officials and witness accounts.

Police said the group used explosive charges to blow open an entrance, then entered the site wearing police uniforms or armbands and carrying assault rifles. Video circulating from the scene showed masked individuals scaling a fence with a telescopic ladder, smashing windows, loading small bags into a white van and fleeing before officers intervened. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on social media that six people who used explosives in the attack were arrested and that the loot was recovered. He praised the rapid response of the Brigade de Recherche et d'Intervention.

Eyewitnesses described a violent, fast-moving operation. A worker in a neighboring business said, "We were eating peacefully and suddenly we heard a loud explosion coming from the laboratory. We...