French police in Meuse have launched an intensive manhunt for a 25-year-old rape suspect who escaped custody while being transported back to the Bar-le-Duc prison. The individual, who had been attending a meeting with an investigating judge in Nancy, “managed to evade the vigilance” of his escorting officers as they approached the correctional facility on Friday afternoon.
A video of the escape has also been published to social media. Authorities are also investigating why the man was not handcuffed in accordance with regulations.
🇫🇷France
This 25-year-old man, under investigation for rape, escaped French authorities on March 13.
He had just appeared before a judge in Nancy when he successfully slipped away from officers. He remains on the run.pic.twitter.com/mTP087Qrgu
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) March 18, 2026Five days after the escape of the inmate, a European arrest warrant has been issued by the courts to try to find the fugitive, wrote the public prosecutor of Bar-le-Duc, Sofian Saboulard in a press release published this Tuesday.
Saboulard noted that the suspect “managed to get out of the vehicle” and flee. He further clarified that “there was no violence, but he managed to get out of the vehicle and run.”
“The investigations are continuing and will continue with intensity until the escapee is arrested,” he concludes.
Subsequent investigations into the breach revealed a lapse in restraints, according to Le Parisien.
“The review of CCTV footage now confirms that the fugitive was no longer handcuffed on his right hand when he exited the vehicle and fled on foot,” the prosecutor explained via email. Despite the immediate reaction of the security detail, they were unsuccessful in their pursuit. “The PREJ (Judicial Police Precinct) staff immediately attempted to pursue the individual but were unable to apprehend him. No weapons were used and no injuries were reported,” Saboulard added.
