France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor has opened an investigation into a wave of apparently coordinated attacks on prisons across the country, which government officials say are linked to an ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking networks.
On Monday night, gunmen armed with automatic weapons fired on the entrance of Toulon’s La Farlede prison in southern France, while vehicles were set ablaze outside at least six other correctional facilities.
Attacks also occurred in Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Valence, and Nîmes in the south, as well as Villepinte and Nanterre near Paris, according to French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin.
No injuries were reported, but significant property damage was documented, including bullet impacts on the Toulon prison gate and torched vehicles at multiple sites. At Villepinte prison, three cars, two belonging to staff, were set alight.
Under rule of #Macron, who is a close friend of #Qatar (state sponsor of terrorism), #France is becoming more like a failed state! Critiminal gangs across France launched attacks at 7 prisons in Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Valence, Nîmes, Luynes, Villepinte, and Nanterre last… pic.twitter.com/kMIih1HX6b
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) April 15, 2025
Darmanin believes the attacks, which began on Sunday, were in retaliation for the government’s crackdown on drug trafficking.
France has introduced legislation targeting drug trafficking. The proposed law, currently before parliament, would expand surveillance powers, enforce solitary confinement for convicted and suspected traffickers, and impose stricter controls on prison communications and visits. It also includes the creation of a new prosecutor’s office dedicated to organized crime.
“It might also be because we hit them where it hurts,” Darmanin said during a visit to the Toulon facility on Tuesday. “And for the first time in decades, France is taking extremely serious measures against drug trafficking.”
He emphasized that the government “will not give in to acts of intimidation” and vowed harsh sentences for those responsible for the prison attacks.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned the violence as “unacceptable” and announced increased security measures at correctional facilities. “Those who attack prisons and officers deserve to be locked up in those prisons and monitored by those officers,” he said on X.
Aside from the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, France’s General Directorate for Internal Security will also join the investigation into the coordinated prison attacks, according to reports.
