A POTENTIALLY dangerous hostage situation at an Irish prison was successfully diffused with the help of a Mars chocolate bar.
Two prisoners at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise became involved in a tense stand-off with guards after taking another inmate hostage.
The incident, which occurred at around 3:30pm on Saturday, February 22, saw police engage in a five hour stand-off with the two prisoners – one of who was armed with a weapon.
A fourth inmate was present in the cell at the time of the incident but was not involved.
Specialist officers were eventually called in along with trained negotiators tasked with defusing the potentially violent situation.
A breakthrough came when one of the two prisoners agreed to open his cell door to exchange his weapon for a Mars bar.
Prison officers were then able to successfully detain the two attackers without further incident.
A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service confirmed staff remained uninjured and added that the prisoners involved only sustained minor injuries.
“Staff responses and the incident was successfully resolved. No staff were injured, prisoners involved received only minor injuries,” he said.
“The Director General has commended all staff involved in ensuring that this incident was successfully resolved.”
An investigation into the incident is now underway.
See More: Irish Prison, Mars
