French police had launched a massive manhunt for the fugitive, whose escape resulted in the deaths of two prison guards and was seized upon by right-wing politicians as evidence that France had lost its grip on drug crime. 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. Dramatic footage from the scene at the time showed men wearing black sports clothes using automatic machine pistols, while horrified motorists look on.
According to reports prison guards found Amra sawing through the bars of his cell two days before the attack. The failed escape attempt prompted his relocation to a different disciplinary unit with his surveillance level bumped up.
At the time of the prison van ambush, the year-old was being transported to Evreux jail after attending a court hearing in Rouen. He had also been indicted by prosecutors in Marseille for a kidnapping that led to a death, it said. The Independent stands for many things, often uniquely so. It stands independent of political party allegiance, and makes its own mind up on the issues of the day. The Independent has always been committed to challenge and debate.
It launched in to create a new voice and in that time has run campaigns for issues ranging from the legalisation of marijuana to the Final Say Brexit petition. The Fly: French Gangster who escaped prison in deadly attack is finally caught. Story by Michel Rose.
