'Escape king' Antonio Ferrara arrested in Eupen
The French-Italian criminal Antonio Ferrara was arrested in Eupen on Thursday for allegedly planning a robbery in Germany. A police officer was injured during the arrest of Ferrara, who is notorious for having escaped from prison twice.
The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed the arrest, which was part of a French investigation. According to Actu 17 and RTL, three Belgians and four Frenchmen were arrested alongside Ferrara. The group allegedly planned to rob a secure location in Germany where banks keep their cash.
Officer hit by vehicle
According to several media outlets, the eight suspects were arrested on Thursday morning in the Rotenberg district of Eupen. The Belgian police did not give any information about the process or the reasons for the operation, but confirmed that one officer was slightly injured during the raid.
The injured officer was a member of the directorate of special units, the tactical unit of the Belgian federal police. He was hit by a vehicle belonging to the suspects and taken to hospital, where he has since been discharged.
Escape king
Ferrara, known as the "escape king" for having escaped from prison twice, was released from Réau prison in northern France in July 2022 after serving his sentence. Born on 12 October 1973 in southern Italy, he has previous convictions for robbery and attempted murder, as well as his two escapes.
Ferrara first escaped from Fleury-Mérogis prison near Paris in 1998 while being transferred to hospital and remained at large until 2002. On 12 March 2003, he escaped from Fresnes prison in Val-de-Marne with the help of accomplices disguised as policemen who attacked the complex with rocket launchers. He was recaptured four months later.
Antonio Ferrara © PHOTO HANDOUT POLICE JUDICIAIRE / AFP
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