A French prisoner who escaped and sparked an intense manhunt has been captured in Romania, according to the French government. This individual, Mohamed Amra, had been on the run for nine months following a deadly breakout from a prison convoy in Normandy last May.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau issued a statement on X, expressing gratitude to all those involved in Amra’s arrest in Romania. Details surrounding the specifics of the capture have yet to be disclosed by Retailleau’s office.

Amra’s escape was marked by a violent incident in which two prison guards were killed by armed accomplices. After being convicted for burglary in Evreux, Normandy, Amra remained a person of interest in other serious offenses, including an attempted organized homicide and a kidnapping leading to death, as per prosecutors. The Paris Prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, indicated that Amra had ties to organized crime in Marseille and was suspected of leading a drug trafficking operation.

His criminal activities began at a young age, with Amra committing offenses between the ages of 11 and 14. He is known by the nickname “La Mouche” (The Fly) but has also gone by various other aliases, including “Yanis,” “Momo,” and “Schtroumpf” (Smurf).

The nature of Amra’s escape and his violent past has highlighted the ongoing challenges that French law enforcement encounters in dealing with organized crime and the protection of individuals categorized as high-risk prisoners.