At least two French prison guards were shot dead and three others seriously injured on Tuesday after heavily armed men ambushed a prison van to free an inmate.
The orchestrated attack, which comes amid rising drug-linked violence across Europe, took place around 0900 GMT at a toll booth in Incarville in the Eure region of northern France.
According to the police unnamed inmate and the attackers escaped, but a major manhunt has been triggered to apprehend the perpetrators.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said all means are being used to find these criminals, noting that he has instructed several hundred police officers and gendarmes to be mobilized over the incident.
Images on social media showed at least two men in balaclavas carrying rifles circling near an SUV that was in flames.
The SUV appeared to have been rammed into the front of the prison van.
