PARIS — Mohamed Amra, also known as “The Fly,” a French fugitive who was freed by gunmen in an audacious attack on a prison van in May, was apprehended in Romania on Saturday, according to the French interior ministry. French police started a large manhunt for the fugitive, whose escape resulted in the murders of two prison guards and was seen by right-wing politicians as proof that France had lost control of drug criminality. Three officers were injured in the attack, which was captured on CCTV and stunned France due to its extreme savagery.

France has entrusted more than 300 investigators with identifying Amra and had sought an Interpol red notice in the hopes of receiving foreign assistance. “I congratulate all those who made Mohamed Amra’s arrest in Romania today possible. “A heartfelt thank you to Romania for its decisive cooperation,” Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau stated on X. According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, Amra is 30 years old and from northern France. According to police sources, he was involved in drug trafficking and has been accused of being a key drug gang figure.

Amra has a long history of violent felony convictions, dating back to the age of fifteen. He was also suspected of ordering assassinations while in prison. Amra was facing two new charges at the time of his escape: attempted murder and complicity in a gangland homicide in Marseille, a city on the French Riviera known for drug trafficking and gang violence. However, despite the government labeling him “public enemy number one” and the use of overwhelming force, Amra was not apprehended as swiftly as the authorities had intended.

The Paris prosecutor’s office stated that he was convicted of burglary by an Evreux court on May 10 and was being imprisoned at the Val de Reuil prison until his escape on May 14. Prosecutors in Marseille also charged him with a kidnapping that resulted in death, according to the report. On Saturday, the authorities expressed relief that the chase was finished. “After a manhunt lasting several months, Amra has been arrested, finally!” Prime Minister Francois Bayrou announced on X. President Emmanuel Macron praised Amra’s capture as “a formidable success.”