Armed inmate takes two guards hostage in French prison: officials
A source later revealed the inmate released one hostage still holding the second - a female trainee
French soldiers stand next to a chopper in front of the penitentiary center of Alençon, in Conde-sur-Sarthe, northwestern France, during a hostage taking on June 11, 2019. PHOTO: AFP
PARIS:
An inmate armed with a homemade weapon has taken two guards hostage in a prison in northwestern France during the mealtime for prisoners, officials said on Tuesday.
The incident was ongoing at the Conde-sur-Sarthe Penitentiary Centre which holds dangerous or radicalised prisoners and those with serious disciplinary problems.
The prisoner, armed with an improvised weapon, was holding a guard and a female trainee, said regional prison official Emmanuel Baudin.
A source involved in the incident later said one of the hostages was released.
The inmate was still holding the second hostage, a female trainee, as police special forces arrived by helicopter at the Conde-sur-Sarthe Penitentiary Centre.
A justice ministry source said the inmate has a history of psychiatric problems and hostage taking. He has convictions for robbery, rape and for a murder of a prison cellmate.
Elite units had arrived at the prison by three helicopters, an AFP photographer at the scene said.
The national Prisons Administration Directorate confirmed a hostage situation without giving any further details. It said the justice ministry had alerted its crisis unit.
Security measures were increased in Conde-sur-Sarthe after a prisoner stabbed two guards with a homemade knife in March. After failed negotiations to end a standoff, security units launched an assault, wounding the prisoner.
An inmate armed with a homemade weapon has taken two guards hostage in a prison in northwestern France during the mealtime for prisoners, officials said on Tuesday.
The incident was ongoing at the Conde-sur-Sarthe Penitentiary Centre which holds dangerous or radicalised prisoners and those with serious disciplinary problems.
The prisoner, armed with an improvised weapon, was holding a guard and a female trainee, said regional prison official Emmanuel Baudin.
A source involved in the incident later said one of the hostages was released.
The inmate was still holding the second hostage, a female trainee, as police special forces arrived by helicopter at the Conde-sur-Sarthe Penitentiary Centre.
A justice ministry source said the inmate has a history of psychiatric problems and hostage taking. He has convictions for robbery, rape and for a murder of a prison cellmate.
Elite units had arrived at the prison by three helicopters, an AFP photographer at the scene said.
The national Prisons Administration Directorate confirmed a hostage situation without giving any further details. It said the justice ministry had alerted its crisis unit.
Security measures were increased in Conde-sur-Sarthe after a prisoner stabbed two guards with a homemade knife in March. After failed negotiations to end a standoff, security units launched an assault, wounding the prisoner.