Robber And Murderer Escapes French Prison In Helicopter
Notorious gangster Redoine Faid, 46, was serving a 25-year sentence for attempted robbery and the murder of a police officer in 2010. He is one of France’s most famous gangsters, with a lengthy career as a thief and became inspired from movies such as Scarface and Heat.
Faid killed a policewoman, Aurelie Fouquet, in 2010 when his heist went wrong, and was arrested in 2011. In April 2013, Faid took four prison guards hostage before using dynamite to destroy part of the prison to escape. He was on the run for six weeks before being arrested at a hotel. It appears he has a knack for escaping prisons, as he escaped Reau prison on Sunday.
According to the French Justice Ministry, “an armed commando landed in a helicopter in the courtyard as the prisoner was in the visiting room [of the Reau Prison].” Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet said “this was a spectacular escape. It was an extremely well-prepared commando unit that may have used drones to survey the area beforehand.”
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The helicopter touched down in the only area of the prison that isn’t covered by anti-helicopter netting. The escape took only a few minutes, as two commandos wearing balaclavas, police armbands and dressed completely in black entered the prison and retrieved Faid. At the time the helicopter landed, Faid was in the visitor room meeting his brother, and the commandos used an angle grinder to open the door to the visitation room.
Once inside the room, the commandos concealed themselves by setting off smoke canisters near the cameras. The pilot of the helicopter was being held at gunpoint by a third commando, who was reportedly taken hostage from a flying club in the Paris region. The helicopter was later found in Garges-les-Gonesse, a town in northern Paris, and the pilot suffered no injuries.
Police believe that Faid escaped Paris in a car after the helicopter landed, with forensic investigators finding a car parked at O’Parinor shopping mall.
