Redoine Faid, a convicted recidivist, managed to escape in a commandeered helicopter from a prison located in the French department of Seine-et-Marne where he was incarcerated, Le Parisien reports.
According to the newspaper, Faid was assisted by three armed accomplices who busted him out of the prison building and escorted him to the helicopter.
The burned remains of the helicopter were later discovered by the authorities near Bourget in Seine-Saint-Denis, as the criminals reportedly fled from there in a car towards the A1 motorway.
A source in the police told France 3 TV channel that the helicopter was flown by a flight instructor who was taken hostage by Faid’s accomplices and later released when the deed was done.