An armed prisoner is holding four nurses and a prison guard hostage at a prison in Arles, southern France, police sources said.
The 37-year-old, who authorities say has no “terrorist profile”, is asking to be transferred to another prison.
He is armed with a makeshift dagger he made and is holding the hostages in the Arles prison’s infirmary, police said, adding that the force deployed there is on standby.
He was convicted of rape at gunpoint and is serving a sentence until 2031.
Citing unnamed sources, the media reported that the prisoner allegedly has mental health problems.
The prison guards and judicial police union expressed concern in October about conditions at the Arles prison, particularly “the safety of staff and the effectiveness of the systems currently in place” with a growing number of prisoners with serious mental health problems.
