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France prison convoy attack – live: Nationwide manhunt as inmate called ‘The Fly’ escapes in armed ambush
Hundreds of officers mobilised to hunt gunmen and fugitive reportedly nicknamed ‘La Mouche’
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A suspected drug boss nicknamed ‘The Fly’ is at the centre of a nationwide manhunt after escaping from a prison van which was ambushed by four gunmen in northern France.
Mohamed Amra, 30, was being transported from a court hearing in Rouen to a secure jail in Evreux when the fatal attack unfolded shortly after 11am on the A154 motorway in Val-de-Reuil in Normandy.
Two prison officers were killed, with one leaving behind a five months pregnant wife, with three more guards seriously injured.
The escaped prisoner fled alongside the attackers in two vehicles, which were abandoned and found burned a short while later. A police source told Le Parisien that Amra is the head of a narcotics network, and had been jailed for 18 months last week for a series of burglaries.
Hundreds of police officers and gendarmes had been mobilised, with president Emmanuel Macron vowing that everything was being done to find the perpetrators.
Footage from the scene near the commune of Incarville appeared to show a hooded attacker in all black firing an assault rifle at the prisoner convoy. One of the attackers was injured in retaliatory fire, a prison officer union boss said.
Mohamed Amra’s lawyer says he is ‘utterly shocked’ by fatal ambush
The lawyer of Mohamed Amra, Hugues Vigier, has been interviewed live on French news channel BFMTV and described the incident as “unimaginable”.
“I’m utterly shocked by what happened this morning,” he said.
“This violence is unimaginable. My assistant saw Mr Amra this morning. A short meeting, about an hour long was planned for this morning and my assistant saw Mr Amra and he was perfectly normal.
“I would like to believe that he didn’t know about the plan to free him. That would not change the tragedy that took place but as lawyer I want to believe he didn’t plan this escape.
“For me this plan doesn’t match with what I know of him. If he’s behind it then I failed to understand who he is.
“He knew about today’s transfer so it is possible that he’d have told other people.
“If he’s behind today’s escape he’s a much bigger criminal that what’s he’s been convicted for until now.”
Holly Evans14 May 2024 18:12
Incarville mayor reacts to fatal prison van ambush
The mayor of Incarville, a Normandy town of around 1,400 residents, said that the situation was “sad” and shared his hope that the suspects would be apprehended swiftly.
“It’s still sad, we hope that the perpetrators will be found quickly and that they will be put out of harm’s way,” said mayor Patrick Maugars to AFP, with “a big big thought” for the families of the victims.
“The citizens that I was able to see, I reassure them by telling them that there is no longer any danger in Incarville, they have gone elsewhere,” he said.
Holly Evans14 May 2024 17:53
Witness recalls ‘intense series of shots’
“I was in my garden when it happened,” a witness to the attack recalled to the French outlet Le Parisien.
Named as Jérôme, he lives near the tollbooth and was alerted to the incident by gunfire.
“ I heard a first series of around thirty shots from automatic weapons,” he said. “It was a very intense series of shots. Then nothing more. The calm lasted a minute, maybe two. Then I heard a very loud bang that sounded like a grenade, followed by two final shots and then that’s it…”.
Holly Evans14 May 2024 17:35
Everything we know about ‘The Fly’
A suspected drug boss is being hunted by hundreds of police officers after he escaped when his prison van was ambushed by armed gunmen in France.
Two prison officers were shot dead while three others were seriously injured during the shooting, which occurred in broad daylight on a motorway around an hour from Paris.
Named as Mohammed Amra, 30, he is understood to be the boss of a narcotics network who is known by the nickname “La Mouche”, which translates to “The Fly”.
Read the full article here:
Holly Evans14 May 2024 17:23
Watch: Emergency services attend scene of deadly police van ambush
Holly Evans14 May 2024 17:15
Pictured: Mohamed Amra, the alleged escaped inmate at the centre of manhunt
Here is a picture of 30-year-old Mohamed Amra, the alleged head of a narcotics network who is now on the run after being freed from his prison van in a deadly ambush.
Holly Evans14 May 2024 16:58
Burnt-out car towed away by French authorities following ramming attack
Pictures have emerged of French police towing away a burnt out vehicle that was used in the fatal ambush on a prison van earlier today.
The attackers reportedly escaped in two vehicles after gunning down two prison officers and injuring three others after freeing an inmate nicknamed ‘The Fly’.
Holly Evans14 May 2024 16:49
Who is Mohamed Amra? Alleged drug boss nicknamed ‘The Fly’
Reportedly the head of an organised drugs network, Mohamed Amra was already under high surveillance and had recently been sentenced for burglary.
At the time of the prison van ambush, the 30-year-old was being transported to Evreux jail after attending a court hearing in Rouen, and was also under investigation for a kidnapping and homicide case in Marseille.
According to BFMTV, Amra was sentenced to 18 months in prison last Tuesday for aggravated thefts, in particular thefts from supermarkets and businesses between August and October 2019.
Le Parisien reports that he is nicknamed “‘a Mouche”, which translates literally to “The Fly”, with a prison source telling the newspaper that he had attempted to saw the bars of his cell two days ago.
He had reportedly been placed in solitary confinement and his surveillance level had been raised after the escape attempt.
Holly Evans14 May 2024 16:37
Investigation launched into prison van ambush
Public prosecutor Laure Beccuau has announced an investigation into the attack, which will consider it a case of organized crime and murder, and said two of the wounded officers were in critical condition.
The investigation will also address organized escape attempts, possession of military-grade weapons and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Holly Evans14 May 2024 16:34
Prisons union expresses ‘sadness and anger’ over deaths of guards
A spokesperson for SNEPAP-FSU, the National Union of All Prison Administration Staff, expressed their “anger” over the deaths of their colleagues in the line of service.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, they wrote: “It is with great sadness and anger that we have just learned of the death, in service, of our PREJ colleagues (connection centers for judicial extractions) from Caen.”
They went on to express their “deepest condolences to the families of colleagues who died on mission, to their close colleagues and to the PREJ. We wish the injured colleagues a speedy recovery.”
Holly Evans14 May 2024 16:12
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