In a brazen escape that highlights significant security flaws, two dangerous prisoners have broken out of a jail in Dijon, northern France, using saw blades delivered to them by drones.
The inmates, aged 19 and 32, utilised the tools to cut through the bars on their cells before using blankets to scale the prison's barbed wire fencing. The escape was discovered by guards shortly before dawn, prompting an immediate and ongoing manhunt.
The Elaborate Escape Plan
French police confirmed that the two men orchestrated a sophisticated breakout from the Dijon prison facility. The key to their plan was the use of drones, which are believed to have flown over the prison walls and dropped the saw blades directly into the exercise yard or another accessible area.
After acquiring the tools, the prisoners sawed through the metal bars securing their cells. To complete their flight to freedom, they then employed a classic method, using blankets to protect themselves as they climbed over the prison's perimeter defences, which included barbed wire.
Who Are the Escapees?
The authorities have identified the fugitives as high-risk individuals. The younger escapee, a 19-year-old, was already under official investigation for the serious charges of attempted murder and criminal conspiracy.
His accomplice is a 32-year-old man accused of making threats and committing aggravated habitual violence against a spouse. Given their backgrounds, police have warned the public that both men are considered dangerous and should not be approached.
A System in Crisis: Warnings Ignored
This incident is not an isolated failure but part of a broader pattern of security lapses within the French penal system. The Force Ouvrière (FO) union confederation stated that they had issued repeated warnings about deteriorating security conditions at Dijon prison over several months.
In a strongly-worded Facebook post, the union accused prison management of being in a state of "total blindness" and refusing to acknowledge the "reality on the ground." This escape appears to be a direct consequence of those ignored warnings.
The situation in Dijon is a microcosm of a national crisis. Official figures from July reveal that French prisons are severely overcrowded, operating at an average of 135.9% capacity. With space for just 62,509 inmates, the system was actually holding 85,000 people, and nearly 30 facilities had surpassed a shocking 200% occupancy rate.
A Pattern of Escapes and Political Fallout
This escape follows another high-profile incident just last week, where a 37-year-old inmate fled from Rennes-Vézin prison during an authorised trip to a planetarium. That security breach led Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin to immediately dismiss the prison's governor.
Multiple prison unions have collectively criticised Minister Darmanin, accusing him of prioritising high-profile anti-drug operations over providing essential support and resources to the crumbling prison service. They claim his focus is on maintaining a public "image of firmness" rather than addressing systemic failures.
This case also brings to mind the dramatic May 2024 escape of notorious drug baron Mohamed Amra, known as "The Fly," from a prison van. That incident, which resulted in the deaths of two guards and a months-long international manhunt, had already exposed the profound vulnerabilities within the French justice system.
As the search for the two men from Dijon continues, this audacious drone-assisted escape raises urgent questions about the ability of authorities to secure prisons in an increasingly technological age.
