Gunmen attack prison van in France, free pris, kill guards

I’ve just seen this on the news. Terrible.
It looked like something from an action film.

I was just watching the Olympic flame starting it's journey in Marseille, which got me thinking that it used to be quite a dodgy city full of problem gangs when I then saw this story.

Poor buggers

Fekin scary to think someone thought it was worth killing and maiming just to get this animal free.

Who ever did this better have a very good plan, because I expect all the French police special mission units have been stood up big time for this, probably GIGN too.

I don't see it ending well for the perpetrators.

I drove from St Malo to Paris this morning and passed by the incident on the A13 about 2 hours after the incident took place. The A13 was still open but the exit was cordoned off with heavily armed police guarding the exit. At the time of passing I had no idea what was going on but it was obviously something more than a road traffic accident.
When I passed the exit for the next hour there was steam after stream of groups of 4 black vans with lights flashing and racing at very high speed.

I assume the guards were effectively executed? I didn't see much scope for surrender.

Was that a grenade at the end?

Did two prisoners get freed? If so doesn't look good for the other one, they won't want a witness.

Horrific.

From what I have seen they would be fully armed.

I once had an experience in Paris in heavy very slow moving traffic. I became aware that a police / emergency vehicle was trying to make its way through the traffic. I had just registered it and thought about how to get out of the way when there was a sudden very hard bang on the window and fully armed balaclava clad Gendarme gave me clear instructions on how to get out the way. There was a gang of six of them now on foot running forward to clear the traffic. The vehicle was a Prisoner Transfer Armoured van. I nearly sh hat myself. I later learnt it was one of the Bataclan terrorists on his way to court.

Shocking, France does seem to have become a dangerous place which is really quite sad.

You'd think someone who could call on those sorts of resources would have a plan for after the breakout. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

They seemed very slick and professional to my untrained eye. I am sure they will have a plan but I hope it goes wrong.

How can they be armed like that and with so many weapons. Must be hard to get hold of surely.

TX.