In a recent operation, French authorities arrested twenty-five individuals following a series of prison assaults and subsequent police raids.
Rewritten Article:
Get ready for the skinny on those early-dawn arrests rocking France! Last month, France got hit with hellish attacks against prisons and related facilities, leaving charred cars and inscriptions in their wake. It's the right-wing government, led by the tough-as-nails Justice and Interior ministers, Gerald Darmanin and Bruno Retailleau, who've vowed to crush drug-related crime once and for all.
Emmanuel Macron, the President, promised that the attackers would be "rounded up, put on trial, and served justice." On Monday, anti-terror prosecutors, who are manning the fort on this case due to the orchestrated chaos of the attacks, announced the arrest of 25 suspects, with three more added later in the day.
BFMTV channel reported that some of the arrests unfolded within the walls of prisons, with masterminds of the operations, accused of pulling the strings from behind bars, being hauled out by the police for questioning. The prosecutor's office and the anti-organized crime squad, JUNALCO, tagged these attacks as likely linked to "severe organized crime."
The investigation, led by around 200 investigators over the two-week probe, has allegedly made some serious inroads in figuring out who might be behind the attacks and those who instigated them. The prosecutors claim that approximately 15 incidents occurred between April 13 and 21. However, earlier assaults at some other prisons remain puzzling connections at this point.
The minister responsible for justice, Darmanin, accused drug trafficking magnates of pulling the strings on these attacks. He thanked the courageous magistrates and law enforcement for bringing the alleged perpetrators to book. Darmanin is standing firm in his unwavering mission to chip away at drug trafficking.
Another round of applause went to the investigators from Darmanin, who commended their outstanding professionalism that swiftly yielded fruitful results. The arrests come just in time for the French parliament's upper and lower houses as they gear up to vote on a bill aimed at neutralizing drug traffickers, with the final approval on the horizon.
Things took a turn on April 13, in Agen, Southwestern France, where the tag "DDPF" – short for "Rights of French Prisoners" – made its chilling appearance next to seven deliberately torched vehicles parked outside a prison staff training center. This was just the beginning of a chain reaction, with arson attacks on cars belonging to prison staff and other assaults following suit. The jail near the southern city of Toulon was even sprayed with automatic gunfire.
While some of the attacks bore the telltale signs of slick organized crime operations, others suggested the patterns and tactics commonly seen in the ultra-left movement, as reported by a police source. As the investigation deepens, France waits breathlessly to find out who's pulling the strings on this chaos.
© 2025 AFP
- Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, has expressed determination to bring justice to those responsible for the prison attacks, stating that the attackers will be prosecuted and punished accordingly.
- In a recent development, over 28 suspects have been arrested in connection with the organized attacks on prisons and related facilities across France, with some suspects arrested within the prison premises.
- The minister in charge of justice, Emmanuel Macron's close associate Gerald Darmanin, has accused drug trafficking magnates of being behind the attacks and has praised the courageous magistrates and law enforcement for their efforts in apprehending the suspects.
- Darmanin also commended the professionalism and swift results of the investigators involved in the case, which comes at a critical juncture as the French parliament prepares to vote on a bill aiming to counteract drug trafficking.
- Following the arrests, the General News and Crime & Justice sectors have been buzzing with discussions, as the nation seeks clarity on the underlying motives behind these attacks, with some analysts suggesting links to severe organized crime and others pointing towards the ultra-left movement.
