Terrifying moment masked gunmen ambush prison van at French tollbooth, shoot dead two guards and free 'narco boss' dubbed 'The Fly' before going on the run

This is the terrifying moment masked gunmen ambushed a prison van at a French tollbooth before shooting dead two guards and freeing a 'narco boss' dubbed 'The Fly' before fleeing on foot.

The prison van was attacked after 11am on the A154 motorway near the Incarville tollbooth, located in the town of Val-de-Reuil, Normandy, northern France.

At least two French guards were killed, and two others were left wounded, following the attack which saw the assailants and detainee, Mohammed Amra, 30, managing to escape the scene.

The inmate, reportedly nicknamed 'La Mouche' (The Fly), was being transported between the towns of Rouen and Evreux in Normandy before the bloodbath unfolded. 

Amra's latest conviction was for burglary, and he also has a past conviction for attempted murder.

Two prison officers were shot dead after four gunmen ambushed their vehicle at the Incarville tollbooth, located in the town of Val-de-Reuil, Normandy, northern France

The attack saw the assailants and 'narco boss' detainee, Mohammed Amra, 30, managing to escape the scene 

Masked and armed  gunmen ambushed the police vehicle at the French tollbooth before freeing Amra

The inmate, Mohammed Amra, reportedly nicknamed 'La Mouche' (The Fly), was being transported between the towns of Rouen and Evreux in Normandy before the bloodbath unfolded

Police officers gather at the site of the deadly attack in Normandy this morning

A police source told Le Parisien that he was 'the head of a narcotics network' in France, and accordingly considered hugely dangerous.

The French publication also reported that Mohammed had attempted to escape his cell just two days before Tuesday's escape.

He had allegedly been placed in solitary confinement an his surveillance level was raised to 'Escort 3'. 

Amra, who had a total of 13 convictions to his name, was under ‘special surveillance’, but not considered radicalised or a terrorist suspect, said Éric Dupond-Moretti, France’s justice minister.

At the time of the attack, Amra was on his way from Évreux prison to court for a commital hearing that would have been made public. This would have made the route relatively easy to work out.

Prosecutors working for the National Jurisdiction for the Fight against Organised Crime (JUNALCO) have opened an enquiry into ‘murder and attempted murder by an organised gang’ – offences punishable with a life sentence.

They are also investigating ‘escape in an organised gang’, ‘acquisition and possession of weapons of war’ and ‘criminal association with a view to the commission of a crime,’ said Moretti.

Laure Beccuau, the Paris public prosecutor, confirmed that Amera had previously been indicted by the Specialised Inter-regional Jurisdiction (JIRS) of Marseille for ‘kidnapping and sequestration leading to death’.  

The two guards killed were identified as agents from the Regional Centre for Judicial Extractions (PREJ), based in Caen, without their names being disclosed.

One was a 21-year-old father of two who leaves a widow, and the other an expectant father whose wife was five months pregnant.

Moretti, said the wounded guards were all in a ‘life threatening’ condition.

He added: 'All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and their colleagues.' 

The prisoner and gang members initially escaped in two cars – an Audi A5 and a BMW 5 series.

According to local reports, the white Audi A5 was found ablaze in nearby Vatteville, Eure. 

Amra was being transported between the towns of Rouen and Evreux in Normandy before the bloodbath unfolded at the Incarville tollbooth

A forensic is at work at the site of a ramming attack which took place late morning at a road toll in Incarville in the Eure region of northern France

Emergency services were spotted at the tollbooth this morning after the ambush that saw two French officers killed

A fire engine also arrived on the scene 

A local police source said: 'The ambush happened at the Incarville toll booth on the A154 road. Kalashnikovs are thought to be have been used.

'Three prison officers are thought to be dead, and three others are seriously wounded.

'A detainee known for cases linked to drug trafficking escaped with a gang made up of around four men.'

Alexandre Rassaërt, president of the Eure Departmental Council, which covers Vale-de-Reuil, said: 'I was frozen with horror when I learned of the real carnage that took place at the Incarville tollbooth.

'I sincerely hope that the gang of killers who carried out this bloody attack will be quickly arrested.

'All my thoughts go to the families of the service agents. penitentiary who escorted the detainees and who were killed or seriously injured during this attack which gave them no chance.

'I also think of all the prison administration guards who, every day, guard prisoners at the risk of their lives.'

French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke out following the horror van attack.

'This morning's attack, which cost the lives of prison administration agents, is a shock for all of us,' he wrote on X.

'The Nation stands alongside the families, the injured and their colleagues,' continues Emmanuel Macron.

'Everything is being done to find the perpetrators of this crime so that justice can be done in the name of the French people. We will be intractable.'

Following the ambush, the road has been closed by police for an 'indefinite period', Bison Futé reported.

Footage posted online showed emergency services gathered at the tollbooth this morning.

A fire engine was also filmed pulling up just metres away from the chaotic scene.  

The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, announced, on X, that a plan had been launched to locate the escapees.

'All means are being used to find these criminals. On my instructions, several hundred police officers and gendarmes are mobilized ,' he said. 

Deputy mayor of Vendée, Veronique Besse, took to X, formerly Twitter, to express her 'shock' towards the incident.

I am deeply shocked & saddened by the scene of war against a convoy of the prison administration at #Incarville, which cost the lives of several agents,' she wrote. 

'Every day, unspeakable acts of barbarity strike our country to the great indifference of our leaders. I send my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones affected'.