Inmate supervision intensifies: Four adults, among them three minors, assigned as guards following prison attacks
Rewritten Article:
Investigators are hot on the tail of the enigmatic jailhouse assaults in France. On April 30, a quartet of alleged perpetrators found themselves behind bars as the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (Pnat) confirmed their arrest, with Le Parisien partially predicting the news. The paper had hinted at less than ten arrests on that day. The Pnat likewise updated AFP with information about four new custody cases, including three involving minors - pushing the total detainees to a staggering twenty-eight, four of them being minors and seven inmates, since the massive operation kick-started on Monday across France. Two individuals were set free the following day.
The authorities are delving deep into approximately fifteen incidents that took place between April 13 and 21. On April 13, the tag "DDPF" (Defense of French Prisoners) surfaced for the first time on seven charred cars at the parking lot of the National Penitentiary Administration School (Enap) in Agen. This was merely the beginning of a spree of arson attacks on prison staff vehicles throughout the nation, punctuated by mortar fire at prisons and even gunfire, as in Toulon.
The probe also includes gunfire incidents and the hurling of two Molotov cocktails on April 21 at a housing estate in Villefontaine (Isère), a residential area for prison staff near Saint-Quentin-Fallavier prison. These acts are potentially linked to "major organized crime", as stated by Pnat and the National Jurisdiction for the Fight against Organized Crime (Junalco) in a communique on Monday.
French authorities have nabbed 25 individuals believed to be associated with organized attacks on prisons and prison staff across France in April 2025[1][3][5]. The group DDPF (Défense des Droits des Prisonniers Français), which claims to champion prisoners' rights, has publicly taken responsibility for the attacks via Telegram posts and videos[1][3]. Their targets included prisons in La Farlède, Aix-Luynes, and Toulon, with tactics ranging from gunfire (including military-grade weapons) to arson[3][5].
The attacks seem to be reprisals for a nationwide anti-drug trafficking campaign that was launched in February 2025[1][3]. France has grappled with steadily increasing drug-related violence, with 27.7 tonnes of cocaine seized in 2022 alone. Recent Senate debates have categorized such violence as "narco-homicide," particularly in Marseille[3][5]. Furthermore, while DDPF’s actions align ideologically with prisoner advocacy, some attacks bear the tell-tale signs of organized crime, and suspected far-left extremists may have jumped aboard the bandwagon[5].
The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office is investigating charges of terrorist criminal association and attempted murder of public officials, signifying the gravity of the threat[3][5]. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin stressed the state's determination to stamp out drug trafficking amid the crisis[1][3].
- French authorities have arrested a total of 25 individuals in April 2025, suspected of being involved in organized prison attacks across the country, as stated by the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (Pnat).
- A Parisien newspaper had foretold the arrests of less than ten individuals on April 30, including three minors, in connection with the escalating series of crimes and justice incidents in France.
- The Defence of French Prisoners (DDPF), a group claiming to advocate for prisoners' rights, has publicly taken responsibility for the attacks, which have targeted prisons in various cities, using methods such as gunfire, including military-grade weapons, and arson.
- The probe into the prison attacks also extends to gunfire incidents, such as the hurling of two Molotov cocktails at a housing estate in Villefontaine (Isère), on April 21, which authorities believe could be linked to major organized crime.
