Cinematic escape: French gangster escaped from prison by helicopter

46-year-old Redouane Faid escaped from prison. This escape could be the key scene of some movie like "Mission Impossible". But this is not a movie, but a reality with a hijacked helicopter, a hostage and a chase.

On July 1, 2018, Redouane Faid, sentenced to 25 years in prison for murder, escaped from prison. The operation began with the fact that three armed men in balaclavas appeared near the main entrance to the prison. While they were distracting the guards, a helicopter with their accomplices landed in the courtyard. One of the criminals went into the visiting room, where Redouane Faid was at the time, and led him unhindered to the helicopter. Then the helicopter took off and flew away.

It was not possible to catch up with the fugitive. It is known that the helicopter landed on a highway near Paris, where Faid changed into a black Renault Megane. Later, the car was found burned in the parking lot of one of the Paris shopping centers. The attackers also burned the helicopter. The police found out that the aircraft was hijacked from the site of a flight school near the prison. And the helicopter was operated by a school instructor who was taken hostage. After the escape, the pilot was released, and he was taken to the hospital in a state of shock.

Faid is a well—known personality not only in the criminal world of France. In the 90s, he led a gang engaged in robberies. For the first time he got behind bars in '98, and in 2009 he was released early, convincing everyone that he was on the path of correction. But Faid did not stay on the outside for long — two years later he was again convicted of a failed robbery of a van, during which a 26-year-old police officer died.

In 2013, Faid made his first escape from prison. His accomplices blew up the prison doors from the outside and took Faid out. However, he did not manage to hide for a long time. Six weeks later, the culprit was found.

According to Redouane Faid himself, he often draws the "scenarios" of his crimes from films. Faid is a movie fan. His favorite films are "Mad Dogs", "Scarface", "On the Crest of a Wave". And for a while, Faid even wore a hockey mask, like Robert De Niro's character in the movie "The Fight". Moreover, Faid even advised directors making films on criminal subjects. But still, the underworld turned out to be closer to him than the cinema. And life within the law seemed too boring.