French Police Searching for 8 North African Prisoners Who Escaped from Detention Center

French police have launched a manhunt for eight prisoners from North African countries who escaped from a detention center in Nice, southern France, late Monday.

In a scene reminiscent of action movies, nine prisoners initially managed to escape from the administrative detention center after creating a hole in the ceiling of their holding room, from which they squeezed onto the roof and then out of the facility using bed sheets. The police were able to capture only one of them, while the others managed to flee. According to “France Info,” their ages range between 23 and 31, and they come from Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria.

Five of the escapees had previously been released and were being pursued for crimes related to public law, while the other three had been released from police custody.

The prosecutor in Nice stated that none of the escapees had been pursued for extremism-related activities.

The detention center, located inside a security barracks in the northeastern part of the city, had seen a similar escape in 2018, involving five detained irregular migrants using the same method.

The General Inspector of Places of Deprivation of Liberty had previously reported that the facility, which houses 40 detainees, is dilapidated and lacks adequate hygiene standards.