A massive manhunt for a dangerous fugitive dubbed "The Fly" is underway after he managed a deadly escape from a prison van en route to a correctional facility in évreux, France.
Two prison guards were shot to death during the ambush Tuesday by a pair of accomplices wielding machine guns while 30-year-old Mohmed Amra broke free from custody, French authorities said, according to ABC News.
Authorities suspect Amra might have already fled the country.
"We are investing considerable resources, we are making a lot of progress," French Interior Minister Gerald Damanin told local radio, the outlet reported.
Amra – who is currently a suspect in a homicide and kidnapping – was on his way to prison to begin serving an 18-month sentence for a burglary conviction, but his extensive history as a criminal began as a teen when he was found guilty of theft, violence and extortion. He has been well-known to law enforcement since, the Associated Press reported.
"Everything is being done to find the perpetrators of this crime so that justice can be done in the name of the French people," President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X Tuesday. "We will be intractable."
Amra previously tried to saw his way out of prison two days before his successful escape, according to CNN.
"I broke down, I cried," Amra's mother said after learning of her son's deadly breakout, according to local radio, the outlet reported. Really I wasn't well. How can lives be taken like that? It makes me sick... It's serious."
