French prisons targeted with arson, gunfire: ministry
Cars have been set on fire near several prisons in France while one was targeted with automatic gunfire, in possible retaliation against government anti-drug policies, justice ministry officials said on Tuesday.
In recent months Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau have vowed to intensify the fight against narcotics and drug-related crime.
"All this appeared to have been coordinated and is clearly linked to the anti-drug gang strategy" introduced by Darmanin, a source close to the matter told AFP after the incidents recorded overnight to Tuesday.
"The republic is face to face with drug trafficking, and is taking measures that will seriously disrupt criminal networks," Darmanin himself said on X, promising a "firm and courageous" government response.
According to prison staff union FO Justice, "vehicles were torched, prison gates set on fire, and even targeted with heavy guns."
Three vehicles, including two belonging to prison staff, were set on fire in the car park of the Villepinte prison north of Paris, a police source said. A fuel canister was found on site, and CCTV footage showed two individuals torching cars.
Cars parked outside three other prisons, one near Paris and two in southern France, were also set on fire, another police source said.
In a prison in Toulon, on France's southern coast, 15 bullet impacts were found on the front gate following an attack with a "Kalashnikov-type" assault weapon, FO Justice said.
In a prison in nearby Aix, two vehicles were set on fire and the gate of the local ERIS prison surveillance unit was damaged, the union added.
Overnight Sunday to Monday, fires had already been set in the parking lots of a prison staff training centre and a prison near Paris, several sources said.
"These criminal acts are a full-on attack on our institution, on the republic and the staff who serve the republic every day," FO Justice said, calling for a "strong, clear response by the government".
Wilfried Fonck, national secretary for Ufap Unsa Justice, another union, told AFP that the prison system did not have enough staff to secure prison perimeters "24/7".
Anarchist slogans were found at some of the attack sites, and police are keeping all lines of investigation open, a source close to the case said.
edy-spe-amd-mca/jh/as/sbk
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kenyan blogger's wife seeks answers after his death in police custody
By Aaron Ross NAIROBI (Reuters) -When the policemen came for Albert Ojwang - the Kenyan blogger whose death in custody sparked protests this week and prompted a rare acknowledgement of police brutality by the president - his wife initially thought he would be safe. Unlike the dozens of political activists abducted by suspected security agents over the last year, the 31-year-old schoolteacher was taken to a police station and officers shared their phone numbers with his family. "When they came, they were so soft. They were not violent," said Nevnine Onyango, who was present when the officers arrived, accusing her husband of insulting their "boss". "So that is what gave me even more confidence." The next morning, a family member called with the news that Ojwang, the father of their three-year-old son, was dead. In the week since, the blogger's death has become a lightning rod in a nation just one year removed from mass youth-led protests that were fuelled, in part, by disgust at pervasive police violence. Hundreds protested in the capital Nairobi this week, with vehicles set ablaze and the police firing teargas. Demonstrators cited Ojwang's death as evidence that nothing had changed one year after more than 60 people were killed in demonstrations initially sparked by proposed tax hikes. Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay, in western Kenya, as part of an investigation triggered by a formal complaint from the deputy chief of the national police force, Eliud Lagat, according to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, Kenya's government-funded police watchdog. Lagat had stated he had been the target of alleged false and malicious information published on X, IPOA said. Kenya's police chief initially implied that Ojwang had died by suicide but later apologised after an autopsy found that his wounds - including a head injury, neck compression and soft tissue damage - pointed to assault as the cause of death. President William Ruto said on Wednesday that Ojwang had died "at the hands of the police", which he said was "heartbreaking and unacceptable". Three people have so far been arrested in the case: the policeman in charge of the police station in Nairobi where Ojwang was found dead, a police constable and a closed-circuit television technician at the station. Reuters was not able to reach Lagat for comment, and a police spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. In the past, the police have called examples of abuse isolated incidents. SUPPOSED TO PROTECT, NOT HARM It is not clear what Ojwang posted that got the attention of the police. His social media accounts no longer appear to be active. According to IPOA, which is investigating his death, Lagat's complaint triggered a probe that led to the arrest of another blogger. Interrogations of that blogger identified Ojwang as a person of interest, IPOA said. And so, last Saturday at lunchtime, police officers arrived at Ojwang's house on motorcycles and told him "there are some remarks that he had made about their boss, that the boss is corrupt", his wife Onyango said. They did not identify their boss. They first took Ojwang to the local police station before telling his family they would transfer him to Nairobi, nearly 300 km (185 miles) away, she said. She last heard from him at around 9 p.m. (1800 GMT) the Saturday of his arrest when he called her from Nairobi's Central Police Station. She said he sounded worried and asked if she would be able to come to Nairobi. Onyango is now hoping for answers - and accountability - from IPOA's investigation. "We always see these things on television, and it actually reached my door," she said of police abuses. "These people are supposed to protect us. They're not supposed to harm us."
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
IDF warns ‘Tehran will burn' after Iranian missiles kill three in Israel
Iran's capital city 'will burn' if the Islamic republic continues to rain missiles down on the Jewish State, Israel warned Saturday, as the IDF proclaimed it had decimated the country's air defenses overnight. Israel Defense Forces posted video early Saturday showing some of its targets in Tehran as the warring countries exchanged missiles following Israel's unprecedented attack on Iran's nuclear capabilities and military leadership. 'Over the past 24 hours, the Navy's missile ships, the air defense system, and the Air Force's fighter jets and helicopters have intercepted dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel,' the IDF wrote in a post. 3 A destroyed building is pictured at a site in Tel Aviv hit by a missile fired from Iran on June 14. AFP via Getty Images At least three Israelis have been killed and dozens of others injured as the two countries traded fire over Tel Aviv, prompting the stark warning from Israel. 'If [Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front — Tehran will burn,' IDF Defense Minister Israel Katz said after an assessment meeting with the army's chief of staff. Khamenei remained unfazed, however, stating Iran will remain strong in its retaliation. 'We will not allow them to escape safely from this great crime they committed,' Khamenei said in a video message after Israel's surprise attack early Friday that killed at least 20 senior Iranian commanders, sources said, including the head of its Revolutionary Guard. Two of the Israeli victims — including Yisrael Aloni, 73 — died when their homes in the suburb of Rishon Lezion were struck by Iranian rockets, according to Israel's paramedic service Magen David Adom. 3 Israel warned that 'Tehran will burn' if it continues its attacks on the Jewish State. AFP via Getty Images Thirty-four people were wounded in the barrage on the Tel Aviv area, including a woman who was critically injured after being trapped under rubble. Israel's main international airport will remain closed until further notice, officials said Saturday. The IDF said it carried out its own barrage of overnight strikes on dozens of targets, including air defenses, 'in the area of Tehran.' 3 At least three people in Israel have been killed. REUTERS On Saturday, Israel revealed it had killed nine scientists and experts involved in Iran's nuclear program during its initial surprise attack Friday, up from the originally reported six victims. The IDF identified the newly confirmed casualties as Bakhouei Karimi, Mansour Asgari, and Saeed Barji, experts in mechanics, physics and materials engineers, respectively. Another 70 people, including military leaders, were killed in the strikes, with an estimated 320 wounded. Both Israel and Iran said their attacks would continue, raising the prospect of another protracted Mideast conflict — with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating Friday that his objective was to eliminate any Iranian threat to Israel. With Post Wires
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Thousands celebrate South Korean Pride parade in Seoul
Tens of thousands of LGBTQ South Koreans and supporters gathered in central Seoul for annual Pride celebrations on Saturday, with a central government agency represented for the first time. Same-sex marriage remains unrecognised in Asia's fourth-largest economy and activists have long emphasised the need for legislation outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The parade, one of Asia's largest, is celebrating its 26th edition and went ahead after South Korea endured one of the worst political crises in its recent history. LGBTQ Koreans joined mass protests in recent months against ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid in December. Yoon, whose hardline evangelical supporters have long been hostile to sexual minorities, is now on trial for insurrection. "This year, amid growing political uncertainty, there was deep deliberation over whether to hold the event," organisers said in a statement. "Though the times may appear to be progressing, they have in many ways regressed... And yet, because of this, in spite of this... we will never stop living as our true selves." The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency joined the parade, the first central government body to do so. "We joined today's event as it draws many young people... making it an ideal (space) for public outreach on prevention," Hyun Jung-hee, a senior staff scientist, told AFP. Participants beamed beneath rainbow flags, some blowing bubbles with joy while others handed out colourful bouquets. Across the street, evangelical Christians shouted slogans such as "Homosexuality is a sin!" while performing a traditional Korean fan dance. One 29-year-old parade participant, who gave her nickname as Door, said the event opened her eyes to new possibilities. "All kinds of people come here. Some say, 'I don't think I'm queer, but I get them'," she told AFP. "Seeing that kind of diversity made me realise the world is bigger than I thought -- and that's why I keep coming back." cdl/pbt
