The images, which have gone viral on social networks, are chilling. This Tuesday, two prison administration vans were attacked by heavily armed men at the Incarville tollbooth, in Eure. The toll is particularly heavy: two prison officers – one was the father of two grown children and the other was expecting one – died. Three other officers were seriously injured, two of whom still have a life-threatening condition.
“Everything will be done to find the perpetrators of this despicable crime,” insisted Eric Dupond-Moretti as he left the crisis unit, recalling that this is the first time since 1992 that an agent has been killed on duty. The objective of the operation was probably the release of Mohamed Amra, a 30-year-old detainee, the prosecution said. A major operation is underway to find him and his accomplices. 20 minutes make the point.
A precise ambush
The attack took place around 11 a.m. this Tuesday morning when the convoy had just passed the Incarville toll, in Eure. According to our information, the detainee was returning from the Rouen judicial court after being heard by the investigating judge in the context of an ongoing criminal case. A first car – a black SUV – first hit the van which was transporting the detainee head-on. Two heavily armed men jumped out and opened fire on this vehicle and the car – also from the prison administration – which was following it. In some videos, we see the attackers dressed all in black and equipped with Kalashnikov-type weapons.
The commando on the run
According to a police source, the operation, probably carefully prepared, did not last “more than a minute or two”. The two armed men as well as the released detainee then ran towards a second white vehicle which was found, shortly after, charred in the town of Houetteville, in Eure. Another vehicle, also burned, was discovered next to the Evreux hospital. According to our information, at least four people participated in the release of this detainee.
A real manhunt is underway. Some two hundred gendarmes, members of the GIGN and a helicopter were deployed to try to question the commando, as part of the Epervier plan. At the same time, the video surveillance cameras are, without a doubt, being analyzed in order to detect clues. Likewise, the telephone is analyzed to try to identify the lines of the accomplices. The Central Office for the Fight against Organized Crime (Oclo) and the Rouen PJ are responsible for the investigations.
Who is the detainee released by the commando?
The operation was probably aimed at freeing Mohamed Amra, a 30-year-old man, also nicknamed the “Fly”. The national jurisdiction for the fight against organized crime (Junalco), which took charge of the investigation, specifies that he was classified as a “particularly monitored prisoner” by the prison administration.
Mohamed Amra was convicted on Friday for burglary by the Evreux judicial court. He was also indicted by the Marseille Jirs for kidnapping and sequestration leading to death.