Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Elite police unit deployed to French prison as inmate reportedly dubbed ‘monster of Colombes’ takes 2 guards hostage

Elite police unit deployed to French prison as inmate reportedly dubbed ‘monster of Colombes’ takes 2 guards hostage

A violent inmate has taken two guards hostage in a high-security prison in north-western France. The man surrendered only after the police and the prison administration deployed two elite units to the scene.
The hostage crisis unfolded at France’s Conde-sur-Sarthe penitentiary – a high-security prison housing some dangerous inmates – early on Tuesday morning when a violent prisoner took two prison supervisors hostage.

The inmate attacked and injured one of the guards before locking him with another guard in his own cell, French media reported. The man wielded a hand-crafted 15-centimeter-long blade, a member of the elite prison intervention unit ERIS told BFMTV.

The prisoner reportedly sought to negotiate the conditions of his prison sentence with the prison administration, according to some reports. The man is serving a life sentence over rape and attempted murder, with a minimum term of 22 years.

Two elite intervention units – the ERIS of the prison administration and RAID of the French National Police – were deployed to the scene to deal with the situation. Eventually, the inmate released the hostages and surrendered without any further violence after negotiations with RAID later in the day.

French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti confirmed that the “hostage-taking situation was over” on Twitter, as he expressed his support to the two prison guards and congratulated the members of the elite units on “making this swift outcome possible.”

One of the guards reportedly sustained a serious injury to his eye during the incident, while another one was left unharmed.

The inmate in question, whom some French media identified as Sofiane Rasmouk, appears to be known for a series of extremely violent crimes that earned him the nickname, the ‘monster of Colombes’.

The man was convicted as many as 20 times between 2002 and 2012 for various offenses, and was described as a “recidivist psychopath” by French media. One of his relatives told Le Figaro back in 2016 that Rasmouk was “crazy and could become violent at any time.”

In 2013, he assaulted and raped one young woman and attempted to rape another, beating her nearly to death and leaving her severely disabled in the town of Colombes, just north-west of Paris. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2017, and was initially sent to another prison in Baois-d'Arcy.

He was transferred to Conde-sur-Sarthe in mid-September, following an earlier attack on a prison guard in 2018 in which he reportedly attempted to attack the warden with a handmade knife, but was overpowered and restrained.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×