Mohamed Amra, the French fugitive behind a violent 2023 prison escape that left two guards dead, faced Romanian justice Sunday after a multinational police operation ended his nine-month run. Surveillance teams arrested the 30-year-old criminal near a Bucharest shopping center Saturday, with prosecutors confirming his identity through facial recognition technology despite attempts to disguise his appearance with bright red hair.
Authorities simultaneously detained ten associates suspected of orchestrating Amra's deadly escape from a Normandy prison convoy last May.
The suspect's network facilitated his evasion across borders through forged documents and safehouses,stated Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau in a Sunday briefing.
Key developments in the case include:
- Use of automatic weapons during the prison van ambush
- Ongoing investigations into a Marseille-based drug trafficking ring
- Extradition proceedings initiated by French authorities
Known as The Fly in criminal circles, Amra had accumulated multiple charges before his escape:
- Burglary convictions in Normandy
- Active probes for attempted murder
- Alleged involvement in a fatal kidnapping
Romanian police tracked the fugitive through financial transactions and encrypted communications, demonstrating improved EU law enforcement coordination.
This arrest proves no criminal network operates beyond our collective reach,a senior Europol official told reporters.
