Attack at Condé-sur-Sarthe Prison: Six Years After the Terrorist Assault, Michaël Chiolo and Four Co-Accused Face Justice

More than six years after the terrorist attack carried out at Condé-sur-Sarthe prison (Orne), the trial of Michaël Chiolo, the main perpetrator, opened on Monday, June 2, before the Special Assize Court of Paris. The 34-year-old man, already sentenced to 30 years in prison for a murder committed in 2012, is appearing alongside four other inmates suspected of supporting him in preparing the attack. All face heavy penalties, including life imprisonment for Chiolo.

A Premeditated Attack in the Heart of the Prison
On March 5, 2019, Michaël Chiolo was in a family living unit (UVF), a secured apartment where inmates can spend time with their relatives. He was accompanied by his partner, Hanane Aboulhana. Around 9 a.m., he prematurely ended the visit, citing her feeling unwell. When two prison guards came to the door, they were brutally attacked with bladed weapons. The attackers used ceramic knives, smuggled past security.

The two guards, seriously injured, managed to pull away and lock the couple inside the UVF. A nearly ten-hour siege began.

Claim of Responsibility in the Name of Daesh and RAID Intervention
Holed up, Chiolo declared over the intercom that he was acting on behalf of the Islamic State and wanted to avenge Chérif Chekatt, perpetrator of the Strasbourg attack in December 2018, with whom he had corresponded in prison. He threatened to detonate a suicide belt, which was in fact fake. In the early evening, the RAID unit stormed the location. Hanane Aboulhana was killed. Chiolo was injured and subdued after attempting another attack with knives and sulfuric acid.

Inside the UVF, investigators found texts glorifying jihad as well as props simulating explosives.

An Initially More Symbolic Target: The Prison Director
The counterterrorism investigation revealed that the attackers initially targeted the prison director. According to Chiolo’s statements during custody, they hoped to capture a guard to demand an exchange for Jean-Paul Chapu, then director of the facility, whom they planned to behead.

The investigation also uncovered the existence of internal accomplices. Four inmates, regularly in contact with Chiolo in a monitored common room, are charged with “terrorist criminal conspiracy,” one of whom is also charged with “complicity in attempted murders.” A woman is appearing free for attempting, at the request of one of the accused, to gather information about smuggling knives into the prison.

A Trial Under High Tension
This trial, scheduled to last until July 4, promises to be emotionally taxing for the victims. One of the injured guards confided that he still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. The other hopes to understand why he was attacked “for no reason at all.”

Michaël Chiolo’s lawyer, Me Romain Ruiz, argues that the prison system is responsible for his client’s radicalization. He denounces the particularly harsh detention conditions, notably prolonged isolation, and states that his client is expecting “listening more than a verdict.” He calls for this trial to be a moment of introspection on the excesses of the penitentiary system.

A Prison Transformed by the Attack
Since the attack, a security turning point has taken place at Condé-sur-Sarthe. Staff speak of a before and after. Stricter controls have been implemented, outings are supervised, and equipment has been reinforced. The facility is now among the sites designated to house, from October 2025, the most dangerous narcotics traffickers.