A national tribute, notably in the presence of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, was paid on Wednesday in Caen to the two prison guards killed on May 14 in Incarville (Eure) in the attack on their van by a heavily armed commando, still wanted.
“Three minutes is how long this attack lasted, three minutes and yet an eternity,” recalled Gabriel Attal, facing the two coffins of Fabrice Moello, 52, and Arnaud Garcia, 34, each covered with ‘a blue white red flag.
“Arnaud Garcia and Fabrice Moello do not get up. They do not get up, carried away by the murderous madness,” he added.
“Their deaths will not go unpunished, the investigation is progressing, it will continue as long as necessary but it will be successful,” declared the Prime Minister, who had previously spoken with the families of the victims.
Legion of Honor
Mr. Attal announced that prison captain Fabrice Moello, 29 years of service, and brigadier supervisor Arnaud Garcia, 15 years of seniority, will be promoted and placed the insignia of knight of the Legion of Honor on the coffins.
This distinction was made by decree of the President of the Republic on May 21, and published Tuesday morning in the Official Journal.
Bringing together some 300 people including Brigitte Macron, elected officials and the Defender of Rights Claire Hédon, the ceremony was held in the courtyard of the former Caen remand center, where the two victims had worked and emptied of its inmates. since December.
The coffins of the two agents then left the courtyard of the former penitentiary center, followed by their loved ones.
“The Nation bows”
Initially announced, Emmanuel Macron, who canceled his visit to Caen to go to New Caledonia, met the families the day before at the Elysée.
“Today, the Nation bows with respect and honors their memory, accompanying their family and their comrades with its gratitude and its moved thoughts,” Emmanuel Macron wrote on X shortly before the ceremony, estimating that the two men “ went ahead with their mission, despite the risks, because they had decided to serve Justice.
The two agents were killed on May 14 in an ambush on a van at the Incarville toll booth (Eure), which seriously injured three other agents and allowed the escape of a repeat offender, Mohamed Amra.
The latter, for whom Interpol has issued an international search “red notice”, as well as the heavily armed commando who carried out this attack are still on the run.
Blocking of prisons
The fatal attack, the first since 1992 according to the Chancellery, led to a blockade of prisons for several days.
The movement of prison staff was lifted after the conclusion of an agreement with the ministry relating in particular to the security of transfer missions, with the trivialization of a large part of prison vehicles (long-standing request by the unions), improvement of weaponry and protective equipment (in particular the generalization of the wearing of pistols on the thigh) and the strengthening of escorts.
The funerals of the two agents must be held Wednesday afternoon, in family privacy, for Fabrice Moello and Saturday morning for Arnaud Garcia.