MONT MARSAN: Seven French prison officers were hurt when a convict atta­cked them as he resisted a search, while guards resumed a strike on Tuesday demanding better security in jails nationwide.

The latest assault, which took place in a prison in south-western France on Monday, came just four days after a German Al Qaeda convict attacked and hurt three prison guards in the north of the country.

Monday’s attack at the Mont-de-Marsan prison occurred when nine officers attempted to restrain and search the convict, who lunged at them and punched them. “Three officers suffered fractures, while four others have multiple brui­ses,” CGT union representative Ludovic Motheron said.

The justice ministry, which put the number of wounded at five, said the inmate, known for being “very violent”, was under surveillance “because he was radicalised in prison”.

The assault came after Thursday’s attack by German convict Christian Ganczarski, who is serving an 18-year sentence over the 2002 bombing of a Tunisian synagogue.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2018