'French republic under attack!' Two prison guards shot dead with dangerous inmate on the loose

The ambush occurred near a toll booth on the A154 motorway at around 11.00am local time when officials were transporting the inmate between Rouen and Evreux.

The motorway has since been closed in both directions, for an “indefinite period”, according to traffic information site Bison Fute.

The prisoner, who is in his 30s, was being transferred following a summons by a magistrate as part of an attempted murder investigation.

The fugitive has been named as Mohamed A, with a French police source saying that he has ties to the city's powerful "Blacks" gang.

Emmanuel Macron responded to the attack online: "This morning’s attack, which cost the lives of prison officers, comes as a shock to us all.

"The nation stands by the families, the injured and their colleagues. Everything is being done to find the perpetrators of this crime so that justice can be done in the name of the French people. We will be implacable."

Following a minute’s silence in parliament, Gabriel Attal, the French prime minister, said: “The French Republic has come under attack.”

Speaking to MPs, he added, “Our justice system has come under attack. On behalf of the government, on behalf of us all, I would like to pay tribute to [the victims].

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• French wine festival forced to cancel event after 'campaign of intimidation' by left wing activists
• France blasted for failing to learn from UK's trans mistakes after feminist authors targeted
• 'Utter DISGRACE!' D-Day beach cafe 'refused to serve British soldiers' as owner claims it was misunderstanding and he was 'too busy'

“Our sorrow is that of a whole country, a whole country shocked by this attack of unprecedented violence, by the brutality and cowardice of the perpetrators.”

Reacting to the incident, French justice minister Eric Dupond-Moretti posted online: “A prison convoy was attacked in Eure. Two of our prison officers have died, three are seriously injured.

“All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and their colleagues.”

All four men and the inmate are on the run, with one of the cars they committed the attack with - a white Audi A5 - since being burned and abandoned in the commune of Vatteville.

Helicopters have been spotted trying to locate the suspects who fled in the direction of Louviers and Evreux.

A source told AFP that the officers “were killed by pump-action rifle fire when a van carrying a prisoner was attacked at around 11.00am with a ram car at the Incarville toll plaza in the Eure department”.

Speaking to the media following a crisis unit meeting, Dupond-Moretti said: "Two agents died. One leaves behind a wife and two children who were meant to celebrate their 21st birthday in two days. The other leaves a wife who is five months pregnant.

"Everything - and I mean everything - will be put in place to find the perpetrators of this vile crime," Mr Dupond-Moretti said, adding that the perpetrators were "people for whom life has no value" and that they would be found and punished "in a way that is proportionate to the crime".

The incident has triggered the Epervier plan, an operation which is launched by French officials to find people on the run.

Over 200 gendarmes, parliamentary police officers in France, have since been mobilised following the attack.

Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior of France, confirmed the activation of the operation online: "Sincere and saddened condolences to the bereaved families and agents of the Ministry of Justice.

"The 'Epervier' plan has been triggered. All means are being used to find these criminals. On my instructions, several hundred police officers and gendarmes were mobilised."