Accomplices, accommodation, arrest: what we know about the end of Mohamed Amra's escape in Bucharest

Mohamed Amra , one of the most wanted men in France after his escape on May 14, 2024 at the Incarville toll booth in Eure, was arrested on Saturday, February 22. 284 days after his disappearance, the 30-year-old drug trafficker was apprehended by the Romanian police in Bucharest thanks to a major operation deployed by the French authorities. His stay some 2,000 kilometers from France is gradually being revealed.

Discovered with glasses and red hair, the fugitive had not simply come to hide in Bucharest, but had prepared for a new life under the radar by changing his appearance.

At the time of his arrest, Mohamed Amra had false papers and money on him, said Bogdan Ghebaur, spokesman for the Romanian police. It is not known what nationality these papers belonged to.

"From what he said during the interrogation, he came to Romania to have cosmetic surgery. He then wanted to go to Colombia. He was already trying to change his appearance: he cut and dyed his hair and he wore glasses," he said.

In an interview with Le Parisien , the Romanian Minister of the Interior also explains that "on February 20, the Romanian police received information from the French police that it was possible that this dangerous criminal was in Romania."

A joint team from both countries quickly identified "a suspicious car". Once followed, it led them to the apartment occupied by Mohamed Amra.

During a press briefing on Monday, the Paris prosecutor stressed that Mohamed Amra benefited from "a determined criminal organization " to escape. An escape that caused the death of two prison officers.

"The investigations have established that around Mohamed Amra there was the deployment of a criminal organisation determined in its preparation, but also in its action," indicated the Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau.

This escape was meticulously prepared, in particular thanks to teams specialized in specific actions. "Scouting, team of thieves, team of logisticians, team of lookouts, the commando team," she lists.

"All of these protagonists (the different teams of the organization, Editor's note) have repeatedly used falsely registered vehicles, heavy weapons, the use of dedicated telephone lines and the multiplication of telephone changes," explains the Paris prosecutor.

Faced with this criminal organisation, the authorities decided to implement investigative means "measured in the response that was our responsibility", the magistrate emphasises.

According to our information, Mohamed Amra had arrived in the Romanian capital only a few days before being arrested.

His stay on Romanian territory was organized with the help of two accomplices , one of French nationality, the other of Albanian nationality, Romanian police spokesman Bogdan Ghebaur told BFMTV.

It was this second accomplice who was responsible for renting the apartment in which Mohamed Amra resided for several weeks. An accommodation located in Voluntari, in the northern suburbs of Bucharest.

The accomplice booked the accommodation for six months, paying three months in advance. He also ensured that Mohamed Amra had enough to live on by providing him with food and water.

To date, Mohamed Amra's two accomplices have still not been arrested. They left Romanian territory as soon as his installation was finalized.