A French prisoner who escaped after an armed assault on a prison convoy in May was captured in Romania, according to French officials on Saturday. This arrest concludes a months-long manhunt for the individual, whose violent escape led to the deaths of two prison guards.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirmed in a statement on X that Mohamed Amra, the inmate who was taken away by two gunmen during a bold daytime attack, was taken into custody with the Romanian government’s cooperation.

President Emmanuel Macron called his capture “a tremendous success” and thanked the investigators who had been tracking Mr. Amra “for months and months.” He also expressed thoughts for the families of the prison staff who were killed.

The Paris prosecutor’s office stated that the man arrested was “very likely” to be Mr. Amra and that investigators were conducting the necessary verifications.

Violent prison breaks are uncommon in France. The deaths of the two prison guards marked the first killings in the line of duty in 32 years, raising questions about France’s overburdened prison system and whether the authorities fully understood how dangerous the inmate, known as La Mouche or The Fly, was.

Mr. Amra had been sentenced to 18 months in prison for burglary and had several other convictions for crimes such as extortion and assault. He was also under investigation for more serious charges, including kidnapping, homicide, and attempted homicide.

French media reported Mr. Amra’s involvement in international drug trafficking and organized crime, but the top Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, said at a news conference in May that Mr. Amra had no drug-related convictions. Officials have not released details about the investigation into the other individuals involved in the ambush.

During the attack, assailants rammed a police van carrying Mr. Amra, and hooded men with automatic weapons surrounded the van, firing for over two minutes. The attackers escaped in stolen cars that were later found burned. The incident, which occurred as France was trying to project an image of law and order ahead of the Paris Olympics, was captured on video by security cameras and bystanders, and videos were shared on X.

The attack came on the same day that a Senate committee completed a report on rampant drug trafficking in France, recommending the creation of a French equivalent to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. France has faced a rise in drug violence and crime, not limited to traditional hot spots or big cities. A 2024 Senate report found that the intensification of trafficking in rural areas and moderate-sized cities had led to particularly brutal violence.

Aurelien Breeden contributed reporting.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/world/europe/france-manhunt-prison-break-arrest.html