Two French prison guards transporting an inmate were killed Tuesday in a coordinated ramming ambush on a prison van, a source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti tweeted in French that the incident occurred in Eure, a department in northern France, allegedly resulting in two guards killed and three “seriously injured.”
“All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and their colleagues,” Dupond-Moretti added.
Un convoi pénitentiaire a été attaqué dans l’Eure.
Deux de nos agents pénitentiaires sont décédés, trois sont gravement blessés. Toutes mes pensées vont aux victimes, à leur famille et à leurs collègues.
Je me rends immédiatement à la cellule de crise du @justice_gouv.
— Eric Dupond-Moretti (@E_DupondM) May 14, 2024
The attack on the prison convoy was carried out by several individuals who arrived in two cars and fled the scene, a law enforcement source told AFP. The prison van was allegedly rammed whereupon the officers were then shot by these marauders, the outlet reported. While one of the alleged marauders was reportedly injured, the prisoner allegedly managed to escape during the commotion. (RELATED: Man Arrested For Allegedly Kidnapping Jewish Woman To Get ‘Vengeance For Palestine’: REPORT)
Dupond-Moretti alleged to the media that marauders had “heavy weaponry,” the BBC reported. The minister vowed to bring those responsible for the alleged attack to justice, according to a tweet of an interview with the minister. “They will be arrested, they will be judged and they will be punished according to the crime they committed,” the English translation of a quote from the interview reads.
⚡️ DIRECT
🗣 “Ils seront interpellés, ils seront jugés et ils seront châtiés à la hauteur du crime qu’ils ont commis.”
Le ministre de la Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti prend la parole après une cellule de crise du ministère de la Justice. pic.twitter.com/Wc54uaNz7N
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) May 14, 2024
“All means are being used to find these criminals. On my instructions, several hundred police officers and gendarmes were mobilized,” France’s Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin tweeted.
Condoléances sincères et attristées aux familles endeuillées et aux agents du ministère de la Justice. Le plan « Épervier » a été déclenché. Tous les moyens sont mis en œuvre pour retrouver ces criminels. Sur mon instruction, plusieurs centaines de policiers et de gendarmes sont… https://t.co/KXzPJa0A2r
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) May 14, 2024
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that the nation stood with the police and their families during this period of trauma. He vowed that everything will be done “to find the perpetrators of this crime so that justice can be done in the name of the French people.”
L’attaque de ce matin, qui a coûté la vie à des agents de l’administration pénitentiaire, est un choc pour nous tous.
La Nation se tient aux côtés des familles, des blessés et de leurs collègues.
Tout est mis en œuvre pour retrouver les auteurs de ce crime…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 14, 2024
Traffic has been halted on the roadway where the alleged attack occurred, AFP reported. A special police unit has reportedly been tasked with finding and arresting those responsible.