Notorious thief flees French jail by helicopter

This picture taken on July 1, 2018 in Gonesse, north of Paris shows a French helicopter Alouette II abandoned by French armed robber Redoine Faid after his escape from prison in Reau.

A notorious career thief who was once France’s most-wanted man pulled off a daring jailbreak on Sunday, fleeing a prison in the Paris area by helicopter, officials said.

Redoine Faid, 46, broke out of the prison in Reau in the city’s southeastern suburbs within minutes, helped by a number of heavily-armed men, sources close to the case said.

He fled with three accomplices, according to the sources. The helicopter was later found in a northeastern suburb of the French capital, they said, adding that a police search has been launched across the entire Paris region.

It was the second time Faid has pulled off a spectacular jailbreak — in 2013, he blasted his way out of a prison in northern France using dynamite before being recaptured six weeks later.

Prior to this, he had been released from a previous stint of a decade behind bars after convincing parole officials that he regretted his criminal past and was determined to start afresh.

This file photo taken on April 15, 2013 in Paris shows a reproduction of the Interpol website shows the international wanted person notice for French rober Redoine Faid./ AFP PHOTO / INTERPOL /

An appeals court sentenced Faid to 25 years in April for masterminding a May 2010 armed robbery that turned into a gunfight, in which a policewoman was killed.

Faid, who grew up in tough immigrant suburbs outside Paris, has made several television appearances and co-authored two books about his delinquent youth and rise as a criminal in the Paris suburbs.

He said his life of crime was inspired by American films such as “Scarface” and “Heat”.