Overview

• Antonio Ferrara, a French-Italian criminal infamous for his two prison escapes, was arrested in Belgium with seven accomplices after an attempted armed robbery in Germany.
• The arrests occurred in Eupen, near the German border, as part of a French-led investigation into organized crime involving a failed heist at a cash storage facility in Germany.
• The operation, conducted by French and Belgian authorities, resulted in injuries to one suspect and a Belgian police officer; weapons, including military-grade firearms, were seized.
• Ferrara, who completed a prison sentence in 2022, has a criminal history including armed robberies, attempted murder, and two high-profile jailbreaks, one involving a rocket launcher assault on a prison.
• French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau praised the professionalism of the police and highlighted the strong cooperation between French and Belgian authorities in the operation.