Gang attacks French jail with bazooka,frees inmate

Reuters ^ | 03/12/2003

[Straight Vermonter]

PARIS, March 12 (Reuters) - A commando-style gang used a bazooka to blow its way into a prison near Paris and free one of the inmates in a pre-dawn raid on Wednesday, officials said.

The gang of four or five men machine-gunned watchtowers at the prison, in Fresnes to the east of the French capital and near Disneyland Paris, before rushing inside to the cell of Antonio Ferrara, who was serving time for organised crime.

"The commando gang entered the high-security section of the prison and gave Antonio Ferrara explosives which allowed him to blow open the bars on the window of his cell," said Christophe Marques, a prison officers' representative from the FO union.

The gang then left together by car. No one was injured.

Television pictures showed a hole blown in a door to the prison and burned out cars lining streets nearby.

[Slyfox]

A commando-style gang used a bazooka to blow its way into a prison...

[freebilly]

We need more inspections!!!!!

[theDentist]

If bazookas are outlawed, only outlaws will have bazookas.

... and the Military.

[Toidylop]

Whoa... The French must've forgotten banning bazooka!!!

Wed Mar 12,10:15 AM ET

A commando-style gang used a bazooka to blow their way into the prison of Fresnes, in the suburbs of Paris, and free one of the inmates in a pre-dawn raid March 12, 2003. The gang of four or five men machine-gunned watchtowers, before rushing inside to the cell of Antonio Ferrara, who was serving time for organized crime. (Xavier Lhospice/Reuters)

[null and void]

Coffe is good. I, of course, have never done that...

[null and void]

*sigh* Coffee is good...

[sheik yerbouty]

The prisoner was Italian.

[Bazooka]

This shit happens all over Europe without anything being said about it in the papers because:

1: It shows the widespread incompetence of governments and justice departments, they rather keep it quiet.

2: It is politically incorrect to open fire on anyone who tries to free a person from a prison, bazooka or no bazooka.

And yes, once in a while it hits the media, but it's only the tip of the iceberg. Especially Eastern European crews have easy access to some really bad hardware.