Europeupdated 1h ago3 min read
MapArmed Men Ambushed Prison Van Near Rouen, Killing Guards and Freeing Mohamed Amra
“Authorities launched a major manhunt after the attackers escaped alongside an unarmed inmate.”
“Amra escaped, setting off a manhunt involving several hundred officers.”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Armed assailants ambushed a prison transport van in Normandy, killing two guards and wounding three. They freed the inmate known as "The Fly," Mohammed Amra, amid a major police manhunt.
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Ambush and Escape
Armed men ambushed a prison transport van at a toll booth near Rouen, about 85 miles north of Paris, and killed two prison guards while seriously wounding three others as they freed fugitive prisoner Mohamed Amra, known as "The Fly." French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said authorities were concerned that Amra has fled the country, and Interpol issued a worldwide red alert for the 30-year-old after the escape. French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X that "Everything is being done to find the perpetrators of this crime," and Macron added, "We will be uncompromising," describing the escape as a "shock to us all."
“Everything is being done to find the perpetrators of this crime.”
ABC News said the attack lasted just two minutes, as men wearing balaclavas opened fire on the van with automatic weapons after a stolen car rammed it head-on at the toll booth. Laure Beccuau of the Paris Prosecutor's Office said Amra was convicted on May 10 of burglary by a court in Evreuz and was being held at the Val de Reuil Prison.
Manhunt and Officials
French police said the manhunt involved several hundred law enforcement officers, and the French police said on Tuesday evening they found two burned-out vehicles used by the attackers. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on X that he had ordered the activation of France's Epervier plan, a special operation launched by the gendarmerie, in such situations. Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said the victims were the first prison officers to be killed in the line of duty since 1992, and Dupond-Moretti told France's BFM TV broadcaster, "Absolutely everything will be done to find the perpetrators of this despicable crime."
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal vowed in parliament that "They will pay," and he added, "We are tracking you, we will find you and we will punish you." Interpol said it had issued a red notice at the request of France for the arrest of the 30-year-old Amra, and Interpol described the notice as a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and arrest a wanted individual.
Identity, Risk, and Next Steps
Al Jazeera said the ambush took place near a toll booth at Incarville on the A154 motorway near Rouen in the Eure department of Normandy, and it said Amra was being transported between Rouen and Evreux. Al Jazeera said Amra was born on March 10, 1994, in Rouen, and it listed aliases including Momo, La Mouche (the fly), Yanis and Schtroumpf. Al Jazeera reported that Amra was convicted of burglary by a court in Evreux on May 10 and was being held at the Val de Reuil prison, while it also said prosecutors said he had been indicted in Marseille for a kidnapping that led to a death.
DW said the investigation would look into escape attempts, possession of military-grade weapons and conspiracy to commit crime, and it said the attackers escaped alongside an unarmed inmate. CBS News said prison workers held moments of silence in Paris and elsewhere to commemorate the officers who were killed, and it said Darmanin expressed hope that Amra could be caught "in the coming days."