Current:Home > News2 officers killed, inmate escapes in attack on prison van in France-LoTradeCoin
2 officers killed, inmate escapes in attack on prison van in France
View Date:2024-12-23 20:27:14
A manhunt was underway in France on Tuesday after two prison officers were killed and three others injured in an attack on a van that was carrying a convict who managed to escape amid the carnage. In a statement to reporters, French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said the convoy was transporting a prisoner from a courthouse to a prison in the northern city of Rouen when it was attacked by assailants armed with "heavy weapons."
According to French news agency AFP, the vehicle was rammed by vehicles at a highway toll, allowing the prisoner to escape.
"All means are being used to find these criminals," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a statement. "On my instructions, several hundred police officers and gendarmes were mobilized."
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a message posted on social media that "everything is being done to find the perpetrators of this crime so that justice can be done in the name of the French people."
"The nation stands alongside the families, the injured and their colleagues," Macron added.
The prisoner was identified by French media as convicted burglar Mohamed Amra, who goes by the nicknamed La Mouche, or "The Fly."
The Associated Press cited public prosecutor Laure Beccuau as saying the suspect is also being investigated for an alleged kidnapping and a separate homicide case in Marseille.
Pictures from the scene of the ambush showed a forensic tent set up around several vehicles alongside a significant police presence.
Beccuau said the brazen attack on the jail convoy was being treated as likely organized crime, and that a murder investigation was underway.
- In:
- Prison
- Escaped Prisoner
- France
veryGood! (28934)
Related
- RHOP's Candiace Dillard Bassett Gives Birth, Shares First Photos of Baby Boy
- Remains found in 1996 near Indianapolis identified as 9th presumed victim of long-dead suspect
- Texas Continues to Issue Thousands of Flaring Permits
- Texas Continues to Issue Thousands of Flaring Permits
- Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Lemon quit X, formerly Twitter: 'Time for me to leave'
- Men charged with kidnapping and torturing man in case of mistaken identity
- Pink denies flying Israeli flags; 'Priscilla' LA premiere canceled amid Israeli-Palestinian war
- Marine veteran says he was arrested, charged after Hertz falsely accused him of stealing rental car: It was hell
- Gisele Bündchen Makes First Major Appearance Since Pregnancy
- Suspect in Holloway disappearance to appear in federal court for extortion case; plea deal possible
Ranking
- Kraft Heinz stops serving school-designed Lunchables because of low demand
- Travis Kelce Hilariously Reacts to Taylor Swift’s NFL Moment With His Dad Ed Kelce
- Will Smith Shares Official Statement After Jada Pinkett Smith's Revelations—But It's Not What You Think
- Kansas isn't ranked in preseason women's college basketball poll. Who else got snubbed?
- My Chemical Romance will perform 'The Black Parade' in full during 2025 tour: See dates
- New Orleans district attorney and his mother were carjacked, his office says
- War between Israel and Hamas raises fears about rising US hostility
- DeSantis touts Florida's Israel evacuation that likely would've happened without his help
Recommendation
-
Sam LaPorta injury update: Lions TE injures shoulder, 'might miss' Week 11
-
Missouri ex-officer who killed Black man loses appeal of his conviction, judge orders him arrested
-
NFL power rankings Week 7: 49ers, Eagles stay high despite upset losses
-
37 years after Florida nurse brutally murdered in her home, DNA analysis helps police identify killer
-
Controversial comedian Shane Gillis announces his 'biggest tour yet'
-
'Jurassic Park' actor Sam Neill shares update on cancer battle: 'I'm not frightened of dying'
-
Report: Young driver fatality rates have fallen sharply in the US, helped by education, technology
-
Julianne Hough Is Joining Dancing With the Stars Tour and the Details Will Have You Spinning