ROUEN, FRANCE – A manhunt is currently ongoing in France after a prison van attack left two guards dead and an additional three injured. The ambush, staged Tuesday, facilitated a prisoner’s escape amid the chaos, according to French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti. The prisoner transport van, en route from the courthouse to a prison in the northern city of Rouen, was reportedly attacked by individuals wielding heavy weapons.
According to further reports, the prisoner transport van endured repeated vehicular assaults at a highway toll booth, leading to the escape of the convict. Gerald Darmanin, the Interior Minister, mentioned the mobilization of several hundred police officers and gendarmes at his directive.
Response to the incident, French President Emmanuel Macron assured the nation on social media that all efforts were being poured into finding the perpetrators.
The escapee has been identified by French media as Mohamed Amra, a convicted burglar also known as “The Fly.” AP reports further disclosed ongoing investigations against Amra for an alleged kidnapping and separate homicide case in Marseille.
Laure Beccuau, a public prosecutor, highlighted the scale and audacity of the attack, hinting at a likely connection to organized crime. A murder investigation has been initiated amidst pictures from the crime scene depicting a forensics tent and a significant police presence of several vehicles.