INMATES at the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca set fire to mattresses on Wednesday morning, protesting their removal to another location.

Prison sources said a number of high-profile inmates and their affiliates were all transferred to Building 13 at the weekend. Officials said this was done to isolate the inmates and save on resources, rather than have the inmates spread across various prisons.

The prisoners first went on a hunger strike, but this escalated into a full-on riot at around 7 am, leading prison officials to lock down the building. There were no immediate reports of injuries to either prisoners or officers.

The riot resulted in some high court proceedings being postponed.

Newsday will update the story as more information becomes available.

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