Interpol issues 'red notice' for escaped French prisoner Mohamed 'The Fly' Amra

An international 'Red Alert' has been placed on an escaped high-profile prisoner, nicknamed 'The Fly', after armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack bent on freeing him.

The prisoner they were transporting, Mohamed Amra, 30, is now on the run.

French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said both the officers killed were men and they were the first prison officers to be killed in the line of duty since 1992.

He said one of the officers who died was married and had two children, while the other left a wife five months pregnant

The convoy had been on its way to Normandy before it was ambushed by gunmen, officials said.

A massive manhunt is underway for the escaped prisoner and the armed gang that helped facilitate his escape from custody.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, said “unprecedented” efforts were being deployed and hundreds of officers were combing the Normandy region in search of the assailants and clues about their whereabouts

Interpol, the world's largest international police organisation, has issued the 'Red Notice' at the request of French authorities for escaped prisoner Amra.

A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action.

“All means are being used to find these criminals. On my instructions, several hundred police officers and gendarmes were mobilised,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on social platform X.

French President Emmanuel Macron in a post on X called the attack “a shock for all of us”.

Authorities worked to secure the area in north-western France and apprehend the assailants.

It was not clear how many were involved.

Amra was previously detained at the Val de Reuil prison centre near Rouen following his recent sentencing for burglary.

He was also under investigation for a kidnapping and homicide case in Marseille, according to public prosecutor Laure Beccuau.

Ms Beccuau announced an investigation into the attack, considered a case of organised crime and murder, and said two of the wounded officers were in critical condition.

The investigation will also address organised escape attempts, possession of military-grade weapons and conspiracy to commit a crime.

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