Three months after he was sprung from custody in a stunning – and violent – ambush, French gang boss “The Fly” remains on the run and the search for him is “dead in the water”.
Mohamed Amra has been at large since the convoy that was transporting him to prison was attacked by heavily armed men in a raid that left two prison guards dead.
The 30-year-old is a convicted drugs boss from northern France who is suspected to have been involved in murders in Marseille and Spain.
It took around two minutes to free Amra during the attack in Rouen, as he was taken away by men in balaclavas wielding automatic weapons.
Three months later, authorities seem to be no closer to apprehending him – or those responsible for the deadly ambush.
A manhunt was launched for the attackers
Search for The Fly is ‘dead in the water’
“For now, the police and the investigations have reached a standing stop. It’s dead in the water,” says Wilfried Fonck, national secretary of the French prison guards union.
“It’s frustrating for all of those who work in the prison system because there were no quick arrests.
“We are all waiting for it and now all our colleagues want is for those responsible to be found, arrested and to face justice, ultimately for them to be imprisoned.”
Gunman were seen on camera. Pic: Snapchat/Yan78780
Speaking to Sky News, he hit out at “poor communication” that he says meant that some people knew Amra had a “dangerous profile” but that this was “not shared”.
“It shows an increase in the number of dangerous prisoners within our penitentiary system. And a lack of understanding to adapt to those changes.
“This evolution, and the fact that more and more people now have easy access to firearms. Those people took advantage of the fact that the dangers of this prisoner were not properly evaluated.”
How did the escape unfold?
Amra was being taken back to Evreux jail after a court hearing on 14 May when the prison convoy was attacked.
Footage from CCTV cameras, obtained by French media, shows the prison van slowing down to go through a motorway toll when a black SUV crashes into the front of it.
Men dressed in black, their faces hidden and reportedly holding military-grade weapons, emerge from the vehicle and open fire. They are then joined by accomplices from another vehicle.
The scene of near the motorway toll. Pic: Snapchat/Yan78780
Amra was then freed from the custody van and escaped.
The attackers tried to set the first vehicle on fire before fleeing. Both cars were found burned close to where the attack took place.
Two male prison officers were shot dead and three others seriously injured during the attack. Footage also showed at least four men in balaclavas firing rifles.
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How did prison convoy attack unfold?
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Visits from his girlfriend
After the escape, French media reported on claims that something odd had been happening at his prison.
A woman claiming to be Amra’s older sister, Sabah, had been visiting him in jail, according to La Depeche.
But a wiretapping of the visiting room revealed that it was not her, but Nawel, a 27-year-old woman from Marseille – his girlfriend.
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So where is The Fly now?
An Interpol red notice – used for wanted persons – is still out for Amra as France seeks to have him detained if he is spotted in another country.
But three months after his dramatic escape there is no sign of him.
Mr Fonck added: “The fact that the police is still making appeals for information and witnesses does not give much hope about knowledge of his whereabouts. Did he leave the country? Or is he even still alive? We just don’t know.”
