Hostage-taking at Arles prison, near Marseille: the inmate surrendered

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This Friday, January 3, 2025, an inmate from Arles prison, in Bouches-du-Rhône, taken hostage a member of the surveillance staff and four employees of the medical profession, learned Marseille newsconfirming initial information from Provence.

He was in possession of homemade picks, which served as weapons.

A hostage taking at Arles prison

A hostage situation has taken place at Arles prison since the end of the morning. The inmate was holed up in the infirmary of the penitentiary center.

On site, specialized teams from the prison administration were mobilized and a RAID branch was ready to intervene, activated by the prefect, Pierre-Edouard Colliex, a police source told us.

The detainee reported as “radicalized” in 2013

The prisoner is 37 years old and is said to have been guilty of several offenses in the past. He was in fact imprisoned for rape at gunpoint.

He would have been reported as radicalized in 2013, even if the current event would rather be linked to a conflict following a transfer refusal.

Gérald Darmanin, new Minister of Justice present this Thursday in Marseille, explained on his X account to follow “the evolution of the situation in real time”. The police chief was on site, accompanied by the public prosecutor, we learned.

The hostage taker surrenders

At 3 p.m., a first hostage, a doctor at the prison, was released, informed theAFP.

Shortly before 4 p.m., Marseille news learns, from a police source, that the hostage taker has surrendered. No injuries were reported during this hostage-taking.

More information to come on Marseille news.

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