Mohamed Amra was arrested in Romania on Saturday, said France's interior minister on X. Bruno Retailleau congratulated those who detained the fugitive and thanked Romania for its help - but the exact circumstances are so far unclear.
A prison source told Le Parisien that Amra had tried to saw the bars off his cell two days before the ambush and was put in solitary confinement.
A suspected drugs boss known as "The Fly" has been recaptured nine months after escaping during an ambush that killed two French prison officers.
Amra - who was 30 at the time of his escape - had multiple convictions for relatively minor offences, but was strongly suspected of being involved in international drug dealing.
CCTV showed a black SUV driving into the front of the prison van, with other video showing at least two armed men in balaclavas circling the car in flames.
