A suspected French drug kingpin known as "The Fly" has been captured in Romania, nine months after a violent prison convoy ambush that left two officers dead.
Mohamed Amra was arrested on Saturday, France's interior minister announced on social media platform X.
Bruno Retailleau praised those involved in the arrest and thanked Romanian authorities for their assistance, though exact details of the capture remain unclear.
The deadly escape occurred near Rouen last May, when a prison convoy transporting Amra from court was attacked at a tollbooth.
Two prison officers lost their lives in the ambush - 52-year-old father-of-two Fabrice Moello and Arnaud Garcia, 34, who was expecting his first child.
Three other people were seriously wounded in the violent attack.
CCTV footage captured the dramatic escape, showing a black SUV ramming into the front of the prison van.
Further video revealed at least two masked men in balaclavas circling the burning vehicle.
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The violent breakout triggered a massive law enforcement response, with hundreds of officers joining the search for Amra.
An Interpol red notice - a global alert requesting arrests - was issued for the 30-year-old fugitive.
Amra had multiple prior convictions for minor offences but was believed to be involved in international drug trafficking.
Police sources linked him to a powerful criminal gang in Marseille, while prosecutors were investigating his alleged role in a kidnapping and homicide in the city.
He is also suspected of ordering the assassination of a French national in Spain in 2023.
At the time of his escape, Amra had just received an 18-month sentence for burglary.
Just two days before the ambush, Amra had attempted to saw through the bars of his prison cell, according to a prison source who spoke to Le Parisien.
He was subsequently placed in solitary confinement.
The killing of the two prison officers sparked major protests by prison staff across France.
President Emmanuel Macron praised those who had pursued Amra over the months, expressing that his thoughts remained with the families of the victims.
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Mohamed Amra was arrested on Saturday, France's interior minister announced on social media platform X.
Bruno Retailleau praised those involved in the arrest and thanked Romanian authorities for their assistance, though exact details of the capture remain unclear.
The deadly escape occurred near Rouen last May, when a prison convoy transporting Amra from court was attacked at a tollbooth.
Two prison officers lost their lives in the ambush - 52-year-old father-of-two Fabrice Moello and Arnaud Garcia, 34, who was expecting his first child.
Three other people were seriously wounded in the violent attack.
CCTV footage captured the dramatic escape, showing a black SUV ramming into the front of the prison van.
Further video revealed at least two masked men in balaclavas circling the burning vehicle.
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The violent breakout triggered a massive law enforcement response, with hundreds of officers joining the search for Amra.
An Interpol red notice - a global alert requesting arrests - was issued for the 30-year-old fugitive.
Amra had multiple prior convictions for minor offences but was believed to be involved in international drug trafficking.
Police sources linked him to a powerful criminal gang in Marseille, while prosecutors were investigating his alleged role in a kidnapping and homicide in the city.
He is also suspected of ordering the assassination of a French national in Spain in 2023.
At the time of his escape, Amra had just received an 18-month sentence for burglary.
Just two days before the ambush, Amra had attempted to saw through the bars of his prison cell, according to a prison source who spoke to Le Parisien.
He was subsequently placed in solitary confinement.
The killing of the two prison officers sparked major protests by prison staff across France.
President Emmanuel Macron praised those who had pursued Amra over the months, expressing that his thoughts remained with the families of the victims.
Find Out More...