A French drug trafficker, Mohamed Amra, who spectacularly escaped in May, was captured on Saturday in Romania.
„I congratulate all the forces that contributed to the arrest of Mohamed Amra in Romania today (Saturday),” wrote French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on X.
He thanked "warmly Romania for its decisive cooperation."
Dubbed "The Fly," Mohamed Amra escaped spectacularly nine months ago. Now he has been caught by Romanian police around 3:30 PM near a shopping center, according to a police source quoted by Le Figaro.
The Romanian Police confirmed the man's detention in Bucharest.
This was done at the request of the French authorities, based on three European arrest warrants for escape, murder, drug trafficking, and deprivation of liberty.
He is to be presented to the prosecutor at the Court of Appeal in Bucharest for the imposition of preventive measures.
"The Romanian Police captured today the notorious drug trafficker and terrorist Mohamed Amra. He had previously assassinated two French police officers and fled the country.
The Romanian Police located, identified, and captured him within 48 hours of receiving information that he was on our territory.
The Romanian-French police cooperation worked well this time too. I was pleased to receive, on behalf of the Romanian police officers, the congratulations of the French Minister, Mr. Bruno Retailleau. Today, I received a phone call from him. I am glad to serve our citizens and countries together. Congratulations to the Romanian police!" wrote on Facebook Cătălin Predoiu, Minister of Internal Affairs.
Movie-like Escape
The escape of this individual was a highly sophisticated armed attack on a van of the French Penitentiary Administration.
The attack took place between the cities of Rouen and Evreux, in north-western France.
"The 30-year-old man escaped on May 14, 2024, from France, following an armed attack on a vehicle of the penitentiary police.
During this armed attack, two prison officers were killed, and three others were seriously injured.
He had previously been convicted of burglary and is also charged in a kidnapping and confinement case that led to the victim's death.
He has known ties to criminal groups in Marseille involved in drug trafficking, being known for ordering and coordinating, from the prison where he was incarcerated, an assassination of another trafficker in order to steal his drugs," stated the Romanian Police.
At the time of the escape, Mohamed Amra had been taken out of his cell and brought in for questioning by an examining magistrate in Rouen.
At a barrier, a Peugeot vehicle hit the van in front to stop it. "Men with automatic weapons emerged, along with other armed men who got out of an Audi vehicle, which was likely following the prison van," authorities said.
They fired multiple times at the two vehicles accompanying the van, killing and injuring police officers, before leaving with Amra.
Subsequently, two vehicles believed to have been used by the criminals were found burnt in different locations.
Following the escape, Interpol issued a red notice for him, and French authorities launched the Épervier plan, mobilizing hundreds of police officers and gendarmes to capture him.
