Explosive Heist in Lyon: Thieves Target Gold Refinery, Arrests Made

Sat Nov 01 2025 15:16:58 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a significant and daring robbery, thieves have targeted a gold refinery in Lyon, France, using explosives to make off with an estimated €12 million in gold. Six suspects have been arrested following a police chase, with further investigations ongoing.

A brazen heist at Pourquery Laboratories in Lyon has seen robbers using explosives to break into the facility and steal gold valued at €12 million. Six suspects were arrested in connection with the robbery, which follows a recent theft at the Louvre Museum. Police have recovered the stolen goods and are pursuing additional suspects linked to the Louvre incident.

Six suspects have been arrested near the French city of Lyon in connection with the country's latest brazen heist.

Thieves used explosives to break into a precious metals refinery on Thursday before making off with the loot, which was mostly gold and worth €12m (£10.5m, $13.8m).

Following a chase, police caught the suspects and recovered the haul, officials said.

The heist came after five more people were arrested over a theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris earlier this month.

In the Lyon incident, footage posted on social media by local residents showed two men near a white van, one of whom was seen placing a ladder over the company's fence before scaling it.

Another video showed a robber carrying a weapon and opening the rear door of the van, while another loaded briefcases into the vehicle.

An unnamed neighbour told AFP news agency she heard a big explosion. It was really impressive, she said.

Five employees of the firm Pourquery Laboratories suffered minor injuries in the explosion, officials confirmed.

A woman was among those detained after the chase. Assault rifles and explosives were also seized by police.

Meanwhile, the latest arrests over the Louvre heist in Paris bring the number of those detained to seven.

On 19 October, four suspects used a mechanical lift to access the museum's Gallery of Apollo in broad daylight, cracking open display cases housing crown jewels with a disc cutter and making off with items worth €88m (£76m; $102m).

Police say those arrested include three of the thieves, with the hunt still ongoing for the fourth.

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