Huge manhunt underway for druglord who killed two guards during prison break
A nationwide manhunt is underway in France for an escaped fugitive known as ‘The Fly,’ who escaped from a police van after accomplices opened fire on his convoy.
Drug lord Mohamed Amra, 30, was being transported from a prison in Normandy when armed men rammed into his vehicle and shot at guards with ‘heavy weapons,’ killing two and seriously injuring three more.
One of the victims was a 21-year-old father of two, and the other an expectant father whose wife was five months pregnant.
Éric Dupond-Moretti, France’s justice minister, said the three wounded guards were all in a ‘life threatening’ condition.
Amra, also known as ‘The Fly’, was under ‘special surveillance’ and had a total of 13 convictions to his name, but not considered radicalised or a terrorist suspect.
At the time of the attack, Amra was on his way from Évreux prison to court for a commital hearing that would have been made public.
A white Audi A5 and a BMW 5 believed to have been used in the escape were later found by authorities.
Who is Mohamed ‘The Fly’ Amra’?
A police source told Le Parisien that Amra was ‘the head of a narcotics network’ in France, and accordingly considered hugely dangerous.
Amra was being transported between prisons after being sentenced to 18 months for a series of aggravated theft.
His offences included using a gun to rob supermarkets and other businesses in Evreux in the summer of 2019.
Amra was also suspected of ordering an assassination in Marseille on June 17, 2022, according to a police source.
Speaking to French outlet RTL, the source said: ‘The charred corpse of a man was found in a burned vehicle, in the town of Le Rove, bordering Marseilles. The victim had obviously been executed beforehand with a bullet to the head.’
They added: ‘Amra is nicknamed the fly, because he’s everywhere, like an annoying fly.
‘He’s been arrested for everything from robbery and burglary to numerous crimes against the person.
‘He’s a classic street criminal, and just the type who revels in a nickname. I’d suggest he like to hang around human waste products too, which also makes him like a fly.’
Amra had been reported to have attempted to escape his cell just two days before Tuesday’s shooting.
He had allegedly been placed in solitary confinement and his surveillance level was raised to ‘Escort 3’.
What happened during the escape?
A woman on a bus near the attack told Le Parisien: ‘I still had my headphones in my ears, and suddenly I see that everyone is ducking down on the bus and everyone is going to the back.
She added: ‘I took off my headphones and I heard lots of gunshots, big booms too.’
She said she saw a car catch fire right next to the bus and that a passenger got behind the wheel to reverse the vehicle.
Mohamed is alleged to have fled with the people who attacked the convoy in two cars – an Audi A5 and a BMW 5 series.
It is believed they targeted the prison van near the tollbooth on the A154 at 11am today.
Officials have said more than 200 gendarmes have been mobilized, mainly from Eure, but also from neighbouring departments.
A helicopter and specialized units, including the GIGN, are providing reinforcement, it has been reported.
A local police source said: ‘The ambush happened at the Incarville toll booth on the A154 road. Kalashnikovs are thought to be have been used.
‘Three prison officers are thought to be dead, and three others are seriously wounded.
‘A detainee known for cases linked to drug trafficking escaped with a gang made up of around four men.’
French President, Emmanuel Macron said: ‘This morning’s attack, which cost the lives of prison officers, is a shock to us all.
‘The Nation stands alongside the families, the injured and their colleagues.
‘Everything is being done to find the perpetrators of this crime so that justice can be done in the name of the French people.
‘We will be intractable.’
Tweeting before the death toll rose, French justice minister Eric Dupond-Moretti posted on X: ‘A prison convoy was attacked in Eure. Two of our prison officers have died, three are seriously injured.
‘All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and their colleagues.’
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.