FRANCE was rocked by another dramatic heist today after five heavily armed thugs raided a precious metals laboratory, according to media reports.
Footage showed robbers dressed as police officers and armed with assault rifles entering the Pourquery laboratory in Lyon, which deals in precious metals including gold.
The raid comes just days after the famous Louvre heist in which thugs stole £76m worth of crown jewels.
The robbers used explosives and carried long or military-type weapons, Le Progress information.
The masked men were seen carrying telescopic ladders, which they used to enter the laboratory premises.
It was reported that thugs used explosive charges to break into the laboratory earlier.
A local neighbor said Actu Lyon: “We heard a loud explosion coming from the laboratory. We took refuge behind the windows and could see the robbery unfold.
“We saw four people armed with Kalashnikov-type weapons, very heavily armed, very professional, very calm and masked.”
A bomb disposal unit was also called to the scene after the reported explosion.
The thieves were reportedly able to steal small bags that likely contained precious metals.
Police are understood to have arrested the five thugs suspected of carrying out the robbery.
The loot has also reportedly been recovered.
Meanwhile, two people have been charged and a “main suspect” along with four other people have been arrested over the world-famous Louvre robbery.
But investigators have yet to discover where the stolen crown jewels are now.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the five suspects were arrested on Wednesday.
DNA evidence from one of the men is said to be linked to the crime scene, making him the prime suspect.
On Saturday, two men were charged when they “partially admitted” their involvement in the robbery to police when they were questioned.
Beccuau said those arrested face up to 15 years in prison for “organized gang robbery.”
Chainsaw-wielding raiders scaled the side of the world’s most visited gallery before smashing open a window to break in and steal the precious jewels – all in just seven minutes.
The thugs managed to escape with priceless pieces, including a tiara, necklaces and brooches that belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte’s family.
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Investigators are still struggling to find the four men who carried out the “heist of the century” as well as their accomplices.
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