A French fugitive who fled after a deadly attack on a police van has been captured in Romania, the French authorities have confirmed. The incident occurred in May 2024, when Mohamed Amra, also known as La Mouche (The Fly), was being transported and a vehicle carrying him was ambush by heavily armed men. This resulted in the deaths of two prison officers and injuries to three more.

Amra has alleged ties to a significant narcotics gang in Marseille, according to French police reports. President Emmanuel Macron praised the capture as a significant victory and reached out to the families of those who were killed during the line of duty.

Macron extended his gratitude to European counterparts and French investigators who had been pursuing Amra for months. France’s Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, also expressed thanks to Romania for its “pivotal cooperation.”

The ambush that led to Amra’s escape took place at around 11:00 when the van he was in was struck by gunmen at a toll booth near Rouen, Normandy. The perpetrators, using high-powered assault weapons, opened fire, and two prison officers died in the assault, while three others were wounded. The assailants fled in a car later recovered abandoned close to the scene.

The Paris prosecutor revealed that Amra had been convicted of burglary on May 10 in Evreux and was being held in Val-de-Reuil prison before making his escape on May 14. He was also implicated in a kidnapping case that ended fatally, as per the prosecutors from Marseille.

Initially, Amra was not categorized as a “closely watched inmate,” a term for highly dangerous criminals, but the level of security required for his transport still commanded a “level three escort,” involving five prison officers.

His lawyer at the time, Hugues Vigier, mentioned that Amra had already tried to escape from the prison by sawing through cell bars the weekend before the ambulance attack, describing the violence of the actual escape as “inexcusable” and “crazy.”

In response to the incident, Macron pledged to bring those responsible to justice, highlighting the first deaths of French prison officers since 1992. The investigation saw over 300 investigators deployed and roadblocks set across north-west France.

Prime Minister François Bayrou later posted on X, rejoicing at the months-long manhunt’s end with Amra’s capture.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq6yl0yqnmqo