France prison van attack: 350 officers hunt ‘public enemies number one’

The suspected drugs boss, nicknamed “La Mouche”, or “The Fly”, was being transported from a court hearing in Rouen to a secure jail in Evreux when his prison van was ambushed by four armed attackers.

The assailants, armed with sub-machine guns, killed two prison officers, seriously injured three others and sprung Amra shortly after 11am local time on the A154 motorway in Val-de-Reuil in Normandy.

Hundreds of officers are hunting “public enemies number one” as escaped French inmate ‘The Fly’ and four gunmen remain at large after a bloody attack that left two prison guards dead.

Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin told France 2 on Thursday that 350 investigators are still mobilised in France in the third day of the search, which he previously described as “unprecedented” when speaking on RTL radio.

Mohamed Amra, nicknamed ‘The Fly’, was born on 10 March, 1994, in Rouen, a port city on the Seine River. His adolescence was a colorful one, marked by early run-ins with the law. His first offences occurred between the ages of 11 and 14, involving violence, theft and extortion, according to the Paris public prosecutor. Growing up in a troubled environment in Normandy, he quickly became entangled in a life of crime.

By age 15, Amra was already infamous among local law enforcement. Recently sentenced for burglary by the judicial tribunal in Evreux on May 10, he is also under investigation for an attempted organized homicide in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray and a kidnapping that resulted in death. Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated that Amra had significant connections with Marseille’s organized crime syndicates and was suspected of heading a drug trafficking network.

He was recently detained at the Val de Reuil prison center near Rouen following his recent sentencing for burglary. Previously, he was incarcerated at La Sante prison in Paris and Les Baumettes in Marseille. Despite not being classified as an inmate of the highest level of risk, he did require high security during his transfers, necessitating an escort of three guards, which was recently increased to five, according to officials.

Just days before his escape on Tuesday, Amra attempted to saw through the bars of his cell, leading to his placement in isolation, officials said. Guards had discovered he was using tape to conceal his actions, according to French media reports.

A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy in which two guards were killed.

Mohamed Amra, 30, has a long and violent criminal history that has now culminated in a high-profile search.

Known as “La Mouche” (The Fly), Amra has also been referred to by other aliases such as “Yanis,” “Momo,” and “Schtroumpf” (Smurf).

According to French media, these nicknames reflect his elusive nature and extensive activities.

Fugitive Mohamed Amra was being transported from a court hearing in Rouen to a secure jail in Evreux when his prison van was ambushed by four gunmen shortly after 11am on Tuesday.

Fabrice Moello, a 52-year-old father of two, and Arnaud Garcia, a 35-year-old whose wife was five months pregnant, were killed in machine gun fire in Normandy, while three more guards were left seriously injured.

A waiting black Peugeot vehicle pulled out and rammed into the front of the van, bringing it to a sudden stop, said Paris state prosecutor Laure Beccuau.

Several men wearing balaclavas and equipped with military-grade weapons stepped out of the car and began firing at the van. The assailants were joined by a second crew who stepped out of a nearby Audi. The whole operation took place in around two minutes, officials said.

Frederic Liakhoff, secretary of the prison officer union FO-Justice at the penitentiary centre in Caen, told the AFP that the prison guards accompanying Amra were armed with “simple Sig Sauer [handguns] while they faced weapons of war”.

Footage taken by motorists appeared to show the men opening doors to the van before a man, believed to be Amra, stepped out.

As they fled, one member appeared to attempt to set alight the black Peugeot.

The gang then sped off in an Audi A5 and a BMW 5 series, which have since both been found abandoned and burned out.

A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.

Mohamed Amra, 30, has a long and violent criminal history that has now culminated in a high-profile search.

Known as “La Mouche” (The Fly), Amra has also been referred to by other aliases such as “Yanis,” “Momo,” and “Schtroumpf” (Smurf). According to French media, these nicknames reflect his elusive nature and extensive activities.

Two officers were shot dead and three others were left seriously injured when the prisoner known as “The Fly” escaped.

The suspected drug boss, Mohamed Amra, was being transported from a court hearing in Rouen to a secure jail in Evreux when his prison van was ambushed by four gunmen shortly after 11am on Tuesday.

The two men killed were identified as agents from the regional centre for judicial extractions, based in Caen.

Fabrice Moello, a 52-year-old father of two, and Arnaud Garcia, a 34-year-old whose wife was five months pregnant, were killed in machine gun fire in Normandy.

Prison workers across France on Wednesday held moments of silence to commemorate the officers killed.

“I haven’t closed my eyes all night. I cried so much that I have no more tears left in my body,” said Dominique Garcia, the father of the 34-year-old slain officer.

Hundreds of police officers have been deployed across northern France to find the fugitive gangster known as “The Fly”.

Interpol issued a Red Notice for fugitive Mohamed Amra on the second day of the hunt at the request of the French authorities.

French home minister Gerald Darmanin said the government had deployed unprecedented resources to capture the armed gang involved in breaking out Amra, including assistance from foreign countries. Around 450 officers were deployed to the Eure region where the attack took place.

“We are investing considerable resources, we are making a lot of progress,” he told RTL radio.

Across France, thousands of prison guards staged a symbolic 24-hour shut-down of jails in support of their slain colleagues.