A hostage taking is underway this Friday in Arles prison (Bouches-du-Rhône), Le Parisien learned from a police source confirming information from La Provence. An inmate, Irwing S., armed with a bladed weapon, detains four prison medical staff as well as a prison officer.
The man, aged 37, allegedly held these people back, under threat of a homemade weapon, “homemade picks”, according to the police headquarters. The Raid, a specialized intervention unit of the national police, was activated, according to the regional daily. Likewise, the regional intervention and security teams (ERIS) are also on site.
The perpetrator of the hostage-taking was reportedly imprisoned for rape, according to a judicial source. The detainee is described as “very impulsive” and “violent” and would have already had “problems with violence in detention, according to the same source. The man reportedly has a serious psychiatric history. According to initial information, the hostage-taking began in the infirmary this Friday around 11:30 a.m., during the detainee's usual care.
