FRENCH PRISON HOSTAGE SITUATION
An inmate at a French prison took five staff members hostage.
The prison is located in the city of Arles, located in the south of France.
The four nurses and one prison guard were held inside the infirmary while the prisoner was armed with a handmade shank.
The 37-year-old prisoner is currently serving a sentence for armed rape with sources saying he suffers from “significant psychiatric disturbances”. He is set to remain in prison until 2031.
At the time, the situation was described as “calm” as the inmate insisted on being moved to a different prison.
After several hours with emergency response units and the elite RAID police unit on standby, the prisoner was arrested.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed the news on X: “The hostage-taker in Arles has just been arrested. No-one was hurt.”
The French newspaper Le Monde reports that the Arles prison holds only inmates sentenced to more than 10 years, or who present a security risk.
Image credit: RTL info