Inmates take staff hostage at a detention center in southern Russia

Inmates take staff hostage at a detention center in southern Russia

Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service says inmates at a pretrial detention center in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don have taken two employees hostage

ByThe Associated Press

June 16, 2024, 4:14 AM

MOSCOW -- Inmates at a pre-trial detention center in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don have taken two employees hostage, Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said Sunday.

Russian state news agency Tass, citing unnamed sources in law enforcement, said that six hostage takers were in the facility’s central courtyard, armed with a penknife, a rubber baton and a fire ax. The prisoners include men accused of links to the Islamic State group, it said.

In a statement, officials said that the situation was “under control” and that negotiations were underway to free the hostages. It added that employees from the Federal Penitentiary Service’s central office were traveling to the scene.