Terror Strikes: A War on France's Prisons

France's justice minister declared attacks on multiple prisons as acts of terrorism. Escalating gang violence and drug trade issues are connected to the attacks. New high-security prisons are proposed to combat these threats, amid growing support for the far-right due to crime surge.

France's justice minister has declared recent gun and arson attacks on six prisons as acts of terrorism. These attacks were concentrated on facilities housing some of the nation's most notorious criminals and were characterized as assaults on state security.

The minister visited Toulon prison, where entrance shots were fired, and emphasized the government's commitment to making life difficult for incarcerated gangsters by clamping down on drug crimes that bolster right-wing political support. He noted that these acts are serious offenses against the public prison system.

France has seen record cocaine imports, feeding local drug markets and causing violence. Authorities plan new high-security prisons, and the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office, with input from intelligence agencies, has taken over the investigation, signaling the gravity recognized at the national level.

(With inputs from agencies.)