Raid on prisoner transport: Mohammad Amra escapes, two guards die

On Tuesday, a prisoner transport was attacked in northern France. They rammed a van into a toll booth and opened fire, killing two prison guards and injuring others. The prisoner identified as Mohammad Amra (30) is absconding. Who is that man for whose liberation so many seem to use any means to free themselves?

Mohammed Amra, known as “E”, was long known to law enforcement officials for his involvement in dangerous drug gangs. He is involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping, illegal imprisonment, death and attempted murder. He is believed to have links to a gang in the southern city of Marseille, where rival gangs are waging a drug war.

The 30-year-old was convicted of theft on May 10, according to the state attorney’s office. His death was due to kidnapping and illegal detention. The attack occurred as a transport of prisoners from the Evreux Criminal Court to the Val de Reuil prison was taking Amra. The attackers stopped the convoy at the toll booth at Ingarville. After shooting two police officers, they fled with Amra.

Attorney Laura Becua said Amra was “not strictly a protected prisoner.” Nevertheless, his transport required a “level three security” – that is, five prison officers accompanied him.

His lawyer Hughes Vizier said that Amra had already tried to escape over the weekend: he cut the wires in his room. Escape attempt failed. Nevertheless, he was shocked by the “unforgivable” and “insane” violence. His aide met Amra for a chat on Tuesday morning. “He knew about the transfer, so he may have told others about it,” the lawyer said. His accomplices were waiting at a motorway tollbooth, suggesting they knew each other well.

According to Amra’s mother, there were no signs that her son wanted to escape. “He is my son, but speaks nothing to me.” She met him in several prisons. He broke down in tears when he learned about the attack. “I broke down, I cried – I felt so embarrassed – how can you take a life?”

On the day of the attack, the French Senate issued a statement warning that France was “overrun” by drug-related crimes. The report notes an “explosion of supply and demand” in the illegal drug trade and warns: “No part of the national territory and no social class is immune from drug crime; drug trafficking permeates everywhere.” Due to this, violence has intensified in the country.

The drug trade has spread throughout the country. Rural areas are also affected, the report said. “The spread of drug-related crime is not just the result of foreign mafias. It is the work of structured and dangerous French organizations that operate without any limits, be it financial, territorial or use violence.” As Nicolas Bessone, prosecutor of the Marseille region, told France 2, drug gangs have become so rich and powerful that they have successfully infiltrated the Marseille court system and corrupted officials. Last year, about 50 people were killed in drug-related shootings in Marseille.