ISTANBUL

Three prison inmates were taken into special custody on Wednesday after a video on social media showed death threats being made against former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is now serving out a five-year sentence at La Sante prison in Paris.

Paris prosecutors told broadcaster BFMTV that the prisoners were taken into custody following “the circulation on social media of a video, apparently filmed by an inmate of the facility, making threats upon Nicolas Sarkozy’s arrival."

The office said that an investigation over death threats has been opened with an administrative search carried out where two phones were seized.

If the case goes to court, Sarkozy will join the proceedings as a civil party, a source close to him also told BFMTV.

Imprisoned just since Tuesday, the former president has two armed police officers assigned to protect him 24/7, taking turns every 12 hours to ensure his safety.

The former French president was sentenced last month to five years in prison for conspiracy in a case involving the Libyan financing of his 2007 election campaign.

The court found Sarkozy, who denied all wrongdoing, guilty of criminal conspiracy but cleared him of passive corruption and other illegal financing charges.

Upon his arrival in prison, Sarkozy’s lawyers filed a request for his release, which will be reviewed by an appeals court within the next two months.

Sarkozy was elected France’s president in 2007 and served at the post until 2012.