Rocket launcher used to blow open French prison doors, Italian prisoner busted out

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | March 13 2003

[dead]

A gang used rocket launchers and heavy weapons to blow open the outer doors of a French prison and free their friend in a spectacular jail break early today, police said.

A group of four or five men in police uniform attacked the prison in Fresnes, south of Paris, just after 4 am.

They fired repeatedly with rocket launchers at the prison doors to blow them open and at the watchtowers, causing serious damage but no injuries.

Antonio Ferrara, 29, an Italian being held for manslaughter and armed robbery and who had already escaped from prison once, fled with his accomplices in a waiting car, which police believe had been stolen and fitted with false registration plates.

Justice Minister Dominique Perben, who was at the scene three hours later, deplored what he called a "military type operation."

It was the third prison breakout this year in France.

"What worries us is that the accomplices are not afraid to use weapons of war any more," a prison union official commented after the last jail break earlier this month on Borgo, Corsica.

AFP

[Sacajaweau]

Security??? You can pull up a rocket launcher and no one notices?? Sounds pretty insane!!

[Grig]

That because the french prison guards surrendered.

[McGavin999]

"What worries us is that the accomplices are not afraid to use weapons of war any more," a prison union official commented after the last jail break earlier this month on Borgo, Corsica.

Sigh, what do the French expect? They go around the world announcing they won't fight to defend anything and then they're surprised when people believe them. They've made themselves targets of all the evil in the world....sorry, but maybe someday they'll wake up. If there are any of them left.

[blackdog]

Had the jailbreakers been sporting a Bush/Cheyney bumper sticker, the attack would have been thwarted by the French.

[commish]

reports are that the French Government Surrendered to the attackers 30 minutes later

[JasonC]

Let me get this straight. Middle of the night, a prison with guard towers. Attackers are shooting off rocket after rocket to blast through doors. Loud enough to wake the dead. Extensive damage. No guards manage to do anything about any of it? And none even get hurt trying? So, the obvious conclusion is everyone on the inside just cowered as hopelessly outgunned, and let them do whatever. A metaphor for the criminals of the world assailing "old Europe".

[TheSpottedOwl]

Hahahaaa!!! My son thought it was funny when I read this to him, too :)

[coloradan]

Must be La Zone.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

At least they used a single shot weapon, not
a dreaded semi-automatic assult weapon.

[ChadGore]

The rocket launcher user is obvously frustrated with France and it's foreign policy. We should understand more about what kind of French foreign policy madness drove this otherwise reasonalbe, well educated man to such extreem violence. < / sarcasm >

[from occupied ga]

At least they used a single shot weapon, not a dreaded semi-automatic assult weapon.

Rocket launchers are illegal for civilians to possess in France. Criminals are civilians; therefore, no criminals can posses rocket launchers.

According to gun control "logic" the whole article must be false because it is against the law for ordinary citizens to own rocket launchers in France. Criminals therefore can't possibly have them.

[modendrite]

The Soprano Crew vs. Inspector Clouseau. There is definitely a movie script here.

[dead]

I think the Monty Python crew should play the French team, with their really bad accents.

[gcruse]

I knew Thunderbolt and Lightfoot was a documentary!