Two prison officers were killed and three were left seriously injured when a prison transit van was attacked in Normandy (northern France) on Tuesday morning. One detainee escaped and is still on the run.
The incident occurred shortly after 11:00 on Tuesday at a toll booth in Eure as the van was travelling from Évreux prison to the Rouen courthouse. French Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti stated that this is the first time that a prison officer has been killed in the line of duty in the country since 1992.
According to French police, the attack was carried out by a criminal gang using two vehicles, one of which has since been discovered "burnt to a crisp". The prison party had no police escort and the escaped inmate, Mohamed Amra (30), is now on the run.
Home Affairs Minister Gérald Darmanin has activated 'Plan Épervier': 200 police officers have been mobilised, as well as a helicopter and a specialised police unit called 'GIGN'.
Videos of the incident recorded by other passengers on the motorway are circulating on social media. The recordings show the attackers wearing balaclavas and pointing weapons at the prison staff through the windscreen.
French gangsters ambush a prison transport vehicle to free their leader Mohamed “The Fly” Amra. All 3 prison officers are killed and Amra is now in the wind. He is large scale drug trafficker and crime boss. pic.twitter.com/52SjtrgT0H
— BIG MAN ON CAMPUS (@JeffNadu) May 14, 2024
Editor's Note: Two officers were killed.
"We will spare no effort and no resources. We will hunt them down. We will find them. And they will pay," Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told the National Assembly after MPs observed a minute of silence.
Amra was sentenced on 10 May 2024 by the Évreux court for burglary. He was also being investigated for a kidnapping resulting in a death.
'Dead Prison Day'
Prison wardens across France have gone on strike this Wednesday for what they have dubbed "Dead Prison Day". The protestors wish to draw attention to the daily dangers of prison work. They are also calling for a number of measures to be implemented during transits: the use of bullet-proof vehicles, unmarked vans to avoid becoming "targets", and suitable weaponry to confront assailants armed with "weapons of war".
Some prisons have suspended key services and are chanting "total blockade: no communicating, no activities, no court summons." They say they are willing to extend the action for as long as necessary.
The national union sanctioned the one-day strike and organised a second one-minute silence at 11:00 on Wednesday to honour the two wardens killed during the attack. Union representatives will meet with Dupond-Moretti at 14:00.
"14 May is a day that will be engraved in our minds forever," trade union UFAP-UNSa stated in a press release. "This tragedy cannot be ignored, as is often the case with the prison service." The union expressed its condolences to the murdered officers' families, friends and colleagues.
