French fugitive whose escape left two officers dead extradited from Romania
Guardian7 days ago
Notorious French Fugitive 'The Fly' Captured in Romania
Above: French convict and drug trafficker Mohamed Amra (R) is escorted by policemen out of the Court of Appeal in Bucharest on Feb. 23, 2025, after a hearing one day after his arrest under a European arrest warrant. Image copyright: Daniel Mihailescu/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
Mohamed Amra, a 30-year-old French fugitive nicknamed "The Fly," was arrested near a shopping center in Bucharest, Romania, on Saturday, ending a nine-month international manhunt that began after his violent escape from custody in May 2024.
Amra escaped after armed assailants ambushed a prison convoy in Normandy, resulting in the deaths of two guards and serious injuries to three others, freeing Amra from a police van following a burglary sentence. A 150-agent investigation then ensued.
Romanian authorities identified and arrested Amra, who had attempted to disguise himself by dyeing his hair red, after discovering he had rented an apartment in North Bucharest for six months and conducting surveillance through security cameras.
The Spin
Left narrative
This extradition is a major victory for France in its fight against rising drug trafficking and gang violence. Prison escapes are rare in France, making this capture all the more important as the government works to prove its crackdown is serious. As this issue moves to the forefront of French politics, several ministers have rightfully placed it at the top of their 2027 presidential campaigns.
Right narrative
Crime is committed by individual people, usually from distinct demographic groups. While liberal governments like France seek to hide this fact, the issue of migrant-related crime won't go away simply by ignoring it. The greatest irony in France is that instead of going after the foreign nationals who are actually trafficking drugs and killing people, it has arrested social media executives for drug crimes allegedly orchestrated on their platforms.