Overview

• French authorities have charged 21 suspects, including two minors and seven current detainees, for a series of attacks on prisons and penitentiary staff since April 13.
• The attacks, which included vehicle arsons, mortar fire, and Kalashnikov shootings, were linked to drug trafficking networks, not terrorism or ideological extremism.
• Investigators identified the DZ Mafia, a Marseille-based criminal group, as key orchestrators, with suspects recruited through a Telegram channel named DDPF (Défense des Prisonniers Français).
• Imran A., a member of the DZ Mafia already in detention, is suspected of creating the DDPF Telegram account and issuing orders for the attacks.
• The Juridiction nationale de lutte contre la criminalité organisée (Junalco) is now leading the inquiry into organized crime and attempted murder, following the Parquet national antiterroriste's decision to drop terrorism charges.