Hostage situation at French prison ends without injuries

Five people were taken hostage at a prison in southern France, according to authorities. The hostage-taker was arrested, and no injuries were reported.

The incident occurred on Friday at around 11:15 a.m. when a convict armed with a handmade shank took five hostages at the central prison of Arles, France. The hostages included four healthcare workers and a prison officer, according to Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin.

The situation was resolved several hours later. “The hostage-taker at the Arles central prison has been arrested now,” Darmanin announced nearly three hours after the incident began. “No injuries. Thanks to the prison administration teams and the RAID police officers for their intervention.”

The 37-year-old hostage-taker, who was serving a sentence for armed rape, was known to suffer from “significant psychiatric disturbances.” The suspect’s motive has not been officially confirmed, but a source told AFP that he was demanding to be transferred to a different prison.

The Arles prison houses only inmates sentenced to more than 10 years or those deemed a security risk, AFP reported. The hostage-taker was reportedly set to remain in prison until 2031, according to the source.