PARIS, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The hostage-taking incident that occurred on Friday afternoon at a prison in the southern French city of Arles ended peacefully with no casualties, French Minister of Justice Gerald Darmanin confirmed.

Earlier on Friday afternoon, Darmanin announced on his X account that five people were being held hostage at the central prison in Arles, including four healthcare workers and a prison officer.

Speaking to the press after the incident, the police chief of the Bouche-du-Rhone department, Pierre-Edouard Colliex, said that "things ended well" after a five-hour negotiation.

"Our priority was the safety of the hostages", he said, adding that extended negotiations were prioritized, particularly as the prisoner was armed with a "weapon that he had made himself."

BFMTV reported that the prisoner, aged 37, has been incarcerated since 2015 for rape at gunpoint. Enditem

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