Five Staff Held Hostage at Arles Prison; Inmate Surrenders After Five Hours

Jan 3, 2025, 01:06 PM

An inmate at the Arles prison in southern France took five staff members hostage on Friday, January 3, 2025. The 37-year-old prisoner, armed with homemade bladed weapons known as "pics artisanaux", held four medical personnel and a prison guard captive in the prison's infirmary from around 11:15 am. The hostage-taker, known to have severe psychiatric issues and incarcerated since 2015 for armed rape, demanded a transfer to another facility. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin stated that all resources were mobilized to address the situation. Elite police units, including the RAID, were deployed to the scene. After negotiations lasting approximately five hours, one of the hostages, a female doctor, was released. The incident concluded without injuries when the inmate surrendered to authorities after five hours, and all hostages were released unharmed.