Multiple prisons in France hit by ‘co-ordinated’ attacks with gunfire and arson overnight

Multiple prisons in France have been attacked overnight, with reports of gunfire and arson.

Vehicles were set alight in prison car parks, according to Le Parisien, while a prison in the southern city of Toulon was fired at with an automatic weapon.

French justice minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed multiple sites were targeted, with local media reports claiming the attacks were co-ordinated.

“Attempts have been made to intimidate staff in several prisons, ranging from burning vehicles to firing automatic weapons,” Darmanin said on social media platform X.

“I am going to Toulon to support the officers concerned. The French Republic is facing up to the problem of drug trafficking and is taking measures that will massively disrupt the criminal networks.”

According to Le Parisien, the entrance to Toulon prison was targeted by gunmen in a car at around 1am. The gunmen fled the scene.

Gendarmes found the door had been hit seven times and several boxes of ammunition were left on the ground, Le Parisien reported. No one is believed to have been injured.

Prisons were also hit in Nanterre, Agen, Villepinte and Nîmes, BFMTV reported.

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