In a significant law enforcement development, a well-known French fugitive has been extradited from Romania to France. Named Mohamed Amra, and infamously dubbed as “The Fly,” he was caught in Bucharest following an intense nine-month international search that began after his violent escape last year, which resulted in the deaths of two guards.
Romanian police arrested Amra, who had reportedly altered his appearance by dyeing his hair red to avoid capture, near a Bucharest shopping center on Saturday. The Bucharest Court of Appeal sanctioned the extradition on Sunday, facilitating his swift return to France.
An official from Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, maintaining anonymity due to the ongoing legal proceedings, confirmed Amra’s extradition to French officials at an airport close to Bucharest. He was visibly restrained and escorted by armed officers during the handover.
Once in France, Amra was taken directly to the main Paris courthouse, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. He is expected to serve his previous burglary sentence and confront numerous charges, including murder, attempted murder, and escaping from custody.
The dramatic escape that led to his widespread pursuit occurred in May of the previous year. In a daring ambush on a prison convoy in the Normandy region, two guards were killed and three others were severely injured, resulting in Amra’s liberation.
Initially arrested for burglary in Evreux, Normandy, Amra was also a subject of investigations related to organized homicide attempts and a kidnapping that ended fatally, stated the French prosecutors. Alerted by these serious allegations, Interpol immediately issued a notice for his capture and French authorities informed their counterparts across borders, suspecting his international flight.
Following Saturday’s arrest, French President Emmanuel Macron applauded the capture as a “formidable success,” expressing gratitude to European allies for concluding the arduous cross-border operation.
Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau revealed that Amra allegedly had links to Marseille’s crime syndicates and was believed to helm a drug trafficking network. Subsequent to Amra’s arrest, up to 25 individuals have been detained in association with facilitating his escape or activities thereafter, as disclosed by the Paris prosecutor.
