PARIS: A French convict, on the run since being freed last May in an ambush that left two prison officers dead, has been arrested in Romania, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Saturday.
Mohamed Amra, accused of being a major drugs gangland figure, had vanished without a trace after an attack with military-grade assault weapons on a prison van carrying him in the northwestern Normandy region.
Three officers were wounded in the attack that was caught on CCTV and shocked France because of its extraordinary violence.
France tasked more than 300 investigators with finding Amra, and requested an Interpol red notice hoping for foreign assistance.
Amra, reportedly known as “La Mouche” (The Fly), has a long history of convictions for violent crimes that started when he was only 15.
He was also suspected of ordering hits while in prison.
At the time of his escape, Amra was facing two fresh charges, one for attempted murder and another for participation in a gangland killing in the southern city of Marseille on the French Riviera, a hub for drug trafficking and gang violence.
But despite the government labelling him “public enemy number one,” and the deployment of massive means, Amra was not captured as quickly as the authorities had hoped.
On Saturday, the government reacted with relief that the chase was over.
“After a manhunt lasting several months, Amra has been arrested, finally!” Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on X.
President Emmanuel Macron hailed Amra’s capture as “a formidable success.”