In France, a widespread manhunt was in progress on Wednesday for armed attackers who ambushed a prison convoy, resulting in the deaths of two prison officers and severe injuries to three others, as well as the escape of the inmate they were escorting.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal pledged that the perpetrators would be apprehended, declaring, “They will pay.”
“We are pursuing you, we will locate you, and we will bring you to justice,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal proclaimed in parliament, drawing applause from legislators. “They will be held accountable for their actions.”
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin stated that “unprecedented” measures were being taken. Hundreds of officers were deployed to search for the fugitive convict, Mohamed Amra, and the assailants who ambushed the prison van transporting him, colliding a car into it before opening fire on Tuesday.
Interpol, the global police organization, reported on Wednesday that it had issued a red notice at France’s request for the arrest of the 30-year-old Amra.
“A red notice has been issued at the request of French authorities for escaped prisoner Mohamed Amra, also known as ‘The Fly’,” Interpol stated. A red notice is a plea to law enforcement globally to locate and apprehend a wanted individual.
The notice described Amra as approximately 6 feet tall, with wavy brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a beard.
The brutality of the assault sent shockwaves across France. Prison staff observed moments of silence on Wednesday outside prisons in Paris and other locations to honor the slain officers.
Darmanin, speaking on RTL radio on Wednesday, expressed optimism about capturing Amra “in the coming days.” Although he did not provide comprehensive details about the manhunt’s scope, he mentioned that 450 officers had been deployed in the Normandy region of northern France to search for the assailants and gather clues about their whereabouts.
“The resources being utilized are substantial,” he affirmed. “We are making significant progress.”
The attack appeared to have been meticulously planned. The convoy was transporting Amra back to jail in the Normandy town of Évreux following an interrogation with an investigator in Rouen when it was ambushed on the A154 freeway.
As the prison van and another escort vehicle passed through a toll booth on the freeway, a car collided head-on with the van. The Paris prosecutor’s office revealed that the stolen car had passed through the toll booth a few minutes ahead of the prison convoy and then waited there.
Another vehicle trailed behind the convoy, seemingly blocking it. The attackers emerged from the vehicles and opened fire, targeting the prison vehicles, according to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau.
Subsequently, the assailants and Amra fled the scene. Investigators discovered two burned cars, which are currently under examination, Beccuau stated.
One of the slain officers was identified as a 52-year-old captain in the prison service, with nearly three decades of service, and a father of two, Beccuau disclosed. The other officer, aged 34, was described as a married expectant father.
Amra, aged 30, has a lengthy criminal history, with at least 13 convictions for robbery and other offenses, starting at the age of 15, Beccuau added.
