Wave of Attacks Hits French Prisons, Sparking Security Concerns

A series of attacks have targeted French prisons and related facilities, including arson and gunfire incidents. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office is investigating the cases, labeled by officials as attempts to intimidate the state. Authorities suspect organized crime in response to anti-drug measures.

French prisons have become the latest flashpoint, with a fresh series of assaults reported overnight, involving arson and attacks on prison-related sites. Cars were set ablaze, including one at Tarascon prison in southern France, according to the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office.

A vehicle was also torched near a prison guard's home in Aix-Luynes, southern France, while a building door in the Seine-et-Marne region was damaged. With nine prison and related sites targeted over two days, the attacks seemed a calculated effort to unsettle state security, said Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin.

Despite these incidents bearing a resemblance to organized crime retaliations against tough anti-drug policies, Darmanin assured the public that the state would not relent. Authorities dismissed any foreign influence, yet remained cautious, citing a surge in drug market violence fueled by cocaine imports from South America.

(With inputs from agencies.)