French authorities foil escape attempt by ISIS prisoner in Paris

PARIS — French authorities announced this week that guards at the Fresnes Prison on the eastern outskirts of Paris, the second largest prison in the French capital, had foiled an attempt by a prisoner with connections to the Islamic State (ISIS) to escape.

According to the French Ministry of Justice, the prisoner was arrested on Sunday morning. Prison guards inspected the cells of all the women in the prison to confirm no others had managed to escape their cells. The Ministry stated that an investigation was opened into the escape and its causes, without giving further details.

French media explained that the prisoner dug a hole in the wall of her cell and went out using a rope made of sheets but motion detectors alerted the guards, leading to her capture before she could leave the prison grounds.

Franceinfo reported that the woman was imprisoned after travelling to Syria to join ISIS, where she was arrested and handed over to French authorities.