Notorious thief flees French jail by helicopter

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.