France Desk, Delhi Magazine: An armed attack on a prison transport van in northern France on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of two French prison officers and injuries to three others, according to consistent media reports. Initial reports from AFP indicated three fatalities.
The officers were transporting a prisoner from Rouen to Évreux when their van was ambushed at a toll booth in the Eure region early in the morning. An exchange of gunfire ensued, after which the prisoner and the attackers fled the scene.
Police sources revealed that the assault was executed by a group of perpetrators using two vehicles. One of these vehicles was discovered burned out shortly after the attack. Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti promptly convened a crisis team in response to the incident, expressing his condolences on the social media platform X: “All my thoughts are with the victims, their families, and their colleagues.”
French President Emmanuel Macron shared a post on X( Twitter) and said, “This morning’s attack, which claimed the lives of prison officers, is a shock to us all. The nation stands in solidarity with the families, the injured, and their colleagues. Every effort is being made to apprehend the perpetrators and ensure that justice is served on behalf of the French people. We will be uncompromising.”
L’attaque de ce matin, qui a coûté la vie à des agents de l’administration pénitentiaire, est un choc pour nous tous.
La Nation se tient aux côtés des familles, des blessés et de leurs collègues.
Tout est mis en œuvre pour retrouver les auteurs de ce crime…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 14, 2024
Following the attack, a large-scale police operation was launched in Normandy, with security forces actively searching the area. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin vowed on X that every resource would be employed “to find these criminals.”
French daily newspaper “Le Parisien identified the escapee as 30-year-old Mohamed A., nicknamed “La Mouche” (the fly). Mohamed A., convicted of grand theft and known as the head of a drug gang, is also facing charges of attempted murder.