A prisoner serving his sentence in Arles, France, is holding five people hostage, including four medical workers and one guard, according to French media reports.
The information was confirmed by France’s Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, who stated on X: “We have mobilized all resources to deal with this. I am following the situation’s development.”
Police and regional emergency response teams are on site, with French media reporting that the prisoner is of psychiatric profile. According to unnamed sources from the prison service, the prisoner used a cold weapon during the hostage situation.
The 37-year-old prisoner, originally from French Guiana, was convicted of rape and was scheduled to be released from prison in 2031.
