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Agence France-Presse

A gangster who made a Hollywood-esque helicopter jailbreak was arrested in northern France on Wednesday after three months on the run, sources close to the case said.
Notorious French robber Redoine Faid was apprehended in the Oise region north of Paris along with his brother Rachid and two other family members, one source said, confirming earlier media reports.
A massive manhunt was launched after Faid’s daring July 1 escape, in which two heavily armed accomplices used smoke bombs and angle grinders to break through doors and whisk him to a waiting helicopter.
“Numerous clues were acted on so the arrest could be made,” French Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet told Europe 1 radio.
Faid, a career criminal with multiple convictions for armed robbery who had escaped from prison once before, was sprung from the jail in Reau, 50km (30 miles) southeast of Paris.

Around 100 police were deployed to track down the 46-year-old, who has cited movie baddies such as Tony Montana in Scarface as an inspiration and said he discovered his “calling” at the age of 12.
Weapons were seized in the raid which unfolded calmly in the town of Creil in the early hours of Wednesday, according to the source.
Outgoing Interior Minister Gerard Collomb praised the local police force in a tweet for their “commitment, bravery and determination”.
Faid, who previously escaped from prison in 2013 before being captured six weeks later, had been serving a 25-year term over a botched 2010 robbery in which a policewoman was killed, though he claims her death was accidental.

The spectacular jailbreak saw two men posing as flight school students, who had already taken an introductory flight, force a helicopter instructor at gunpoint to fly them to the jail.
The terrified pilot landed in the courtyard – the only part of the prison not fitted with anti-helicopter nets.
A pair of black-clad men armed with assault rifles then alighted and set off smoke bombs before breaking into the visiting room, where Faid was meeting with his brother who was later taken into custody.
The wardens, who were unarmed, fled and raised the alarm. But within 10 minutes Faid was gone, cheered on by his fellow inmates.

The helicopter was found shortly afterwards in a suburb northeast of Paris, along with the pilot, who had been beaten and was taken to hospital in a state of shock.
Several days after his escape investigators found a stash of guns, masks and a cement cutter in the Oise region where Faid grew up, which they believed belonged to his gang.
Faid narrowly avoided capture on July 24 and had to abandon a car containing explosives after he was identified as one of two people who sped away when police tried to carry out a security check on their car north of Paris.
In early September police carried out searches targeting the robber’s relatives, but made no arrests.
The escape, which brings to at least five the number of jailbreaks in France in the past three decades involving helicopters, prompted a heated debate about whether the country’s prisons are secure enough.
Additional reporting by Associated Press


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France

Fugitive gangster who made daring jailbreak in helicopter captured in France

A massive manhunt was launched after Redoine Faid’s daring escape in July

(FILES) In this file photo taken on April 13, 2013 police officers investigate around the destroyed door of the Lille-Sequedin prison, in Sequedin, after Redoine Faid, one of France's most dangerous gangsters, known for brazen attacks on cash-in-transit vehicles, today blasted his way out of jail after taking several wardens hostage. - Redoine Faid is still on the run since he escaped onboard a helicopter from a prison in Reau on July 1, 2018. His escape impacts the French penitentiary administration, already under pressure. (Photo by PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP)

(FILES) This file photo taken on September 24, 2013 shows the entrance of the Sud-Francilien prison in Reau, outside Paris. French armed robber Redoine Faid has escaped from prison in Reau on board of a helicopter on July 1, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Thomas SAMSON

epa06857891 (FILE) A picture dated 12 January 2011 shows Redoine Faid posing for photographs to promote his book 'Braqueur : Des cites au grand banditisme', in Paris, France. Redoine Faid, who served a 25 year sentence, has escaped from the prison of Reau, Seine-et-Marne, on 01 July 2018, onboard a Alouette II helicopter abandoned near Paris, in Gonesse. EPA-EFE/OLIVIER ARANDEL FRANCE OUT; BELGIUM OUT; SHUTTERSTOCK OUT / NO MAGS SALES SHUTTERSTOCK OUT NO MAGAZINES

The helicopter abandoned by notorious French criminal Redoine Faid after his escape from a prison. Photo: EPA

Notorious French criminal Redoine Faid pulls off daring jailbreak, escaping by helicopter

A reproduction of the Interpol website shows Redoine Faid. Photo: AFP

This picture taken on 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. / AFP PHOTO / GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT

Drones buzzed French prison months before spectacular escape

The helicopter abandoned by notorious French criminal Redoine Faid after his escape from a prison north of Paris. Photo: AP

A photo shows the entrance of the Sante prison in Paris, on June 28, 2018. Closed since 2014 for renovation, the Sante prison which will reopen at the end of 2018 will provide 95 % of individual cells. / AFP PHOTO / GERARD JULIEN

epa06855504 French gendarmes man roadblock checkpoint as part of a wide-scale police operation dubbed 'Epervier Plan', after French prisoner Redoine Faid escaped from the prison of Reau aided by accomplices, in Gonesse, north of Paris, France, 01 July 2018. According to news reports citing police sources, Redoine Faid, who served a 25 year sentence, has allegedly escaped from the prison of Reau, Seine-et-Marne, onboard a helicopter. EPA-EFE/IAN LANGSDON

In this photo dated Nov. 22, 2010, notorious French criminal Redoine Faid poses prior to an interview with French all-news TV channel, LCI, as he was promoting his book, in Boulogne-Billancourt, outside Paris, France. Faid serving 25 years for murder made an audacious escape from prison Sunday after a helicopter carrying several heavily armed commandos landed in a courtyard, freed him from a visiting room and carried him away. (IBO/Sipa via AP)

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Europe

A massive manhunt was launched after Redoine Faid’s daring escape in July


A French gangster who made a Hollywood-style helicopter jailbreak has been found in northern France after three months on the run.


Crime

Fugitive gangster who made daring jailbreak in helicopter captured in France

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A massive manhunt was launched after Redoine Faid’s daring escape in July

A massive manhunt was launched after Redoine Faid’s daring escape in July