The hostage-taking began around 11:15 a.m. in the health unit of the Arles central house. According to The Parisianthis is the usual time for care.
It is at this moment thatan inmate took five people hostage.
This inmate equipped with a homemade pick and known for “significant psychiatric disorders” currently holding four nursing staff and a prison guard, reported several sources.
For now, despite the seriousness of the situation, “the situation remains calm”, said a source close to the matter. The man says he wants “change prison center”according to this source.
Imprisoned for rape at gunpoint
According to the first elements reported, the man does not present “not a terrorist profile”, according to a prison source. The Parisien specifies for his part that the man is described as “very impulsive” et “violent” and would have already had “problems of violence in detention.
The 37-year-old man was incarcerated for rape at gunpoint.
Several intervention forces, including the Raid, were deployed on site. “We have mobilized all means” to put an end to the hostage-taking, indicated on X the Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin, saying he followed “in real time the evolution of the situation”.
The inmate was eligible for release in 2031, said the source close to the matter.
