France says prisons targeted with gunfire and arson over a new anti-drug crackdown
PARIS (AP) — French prosecutors said Tuesday they have opened an investigation alleging terrorist conspiracy and attempted murder after several prisons were targeted in incidents that included gunfire and arson.
Top officials described the attacks as a response to renewed government efforts to fight drug trafficking.
Overnight Monday to Tuesday, an automatic weapon was fired at the main entrance of a prison in the southern port city of Toulon. No one was injured. In other places, cars have been set on fire outside prisons.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on X that “attempts have been made to intimidate staff in several prisons.” He added that measures against drug trafficking “will massively disrupt the criminal networks.”
French anti-terror prosecutors said in a statement they have opened a probe into the series of incidents alleging terrorist conspiracy, attempted murder in relation with a terrorist undertaking, and damage and destruction committed by an organized group. They said the domestic intelligence agency DGSI would be involved.
Prosecutors noted the “unprecedented context” of the actions, the targets chosen and the concerted nature of the offences committed in at least nine places across France. They also pointed to the goal of “seriously disturbing public order through intimidation” as claimed on social media by a group called Defense des prisonniers français” (Defense of French Prisoners).
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on X he has instructed authorities and police to step up security measures to protect prison staff and facilities.
Prison staff union UFAP-UNSA Justice said some staff vehicles were set on fire outside prisons in Villepinte and Nanterre in the Paris region as well as the southern towns of Aix-en-Provence and Valence. It said an attempted arson attack at a prison-related facility in Marseille was also reported.
Wilfried Fonck, the union’s national secretary, said on BFM television that “we see it’s something that is coordinated, organized and that seeks to terrorize prisons’ staff.”
French authorities in recent months have stepped up efforts against drug trafficking with a focus on cocaine, which the interior minister has described as a “tsunami” flooding the country.
Demand for cocaine has reached an all-time high, with 1.1 million people in France using it at least once in 2023, Retailleau said.
In all, 47 tons of cocaine were seized in 2024, more than double the previous year’s total.
By SYLVIE CORBET
Associated Press
