At 48, Antonio Ferrara has been convicted and acquitted several times for robberies. He was released from prison 19 years after his spectacular escape from Fresnes during a commando operation in the spring of 2003. His run had lasted four months.
He was released «around 10 a.m.» from Réau prison (Seine-et-Marne), his lawyer Amar Bouaou told AFP, confirming information from the JDD and Europe 1.
“It is a relief for him and all of his relatives after a very, very long period of detention,” reacted the council. «He was able to leave a little before the end of his sentence thanks to a confusion of sentences» and a «change of course» during his detention, where he showed «exemplary behavior», a added the lawyer.
«He now aspires to live a normal life with his partner and his two children» in France, he concluded, adding that Antonio Ferrara was preparing to join his wife.
Born October 12, 1973 in southern Italy, living with his family in Choisy-le-Roi (Val-de-Marne), Antonio Ferrara was convicted of robberies, attempted murder and his two escapes.
He was however acquitted in three robbery cases: armored vans in 2009 and a post office in 2012.
He had escaped for the first time from the prison of Fleury-Mérogis (Essonne) in 1998 during a transfer to the hospital, then experiencing a long run until 2002.
On March 12, 2003, he escaped from Fresnes prison (Val-de-Marne) with the help of accomplices disguised as police officers who attacked the establishment with rocket launchers. It will be resumed four months later.