Redoine Faid was a French robber with a Hollywood flair. He went for armored trucks while wearing a hockey mask. He even came up with his autobiography. But he still ended up in prison in 2011. Evidently, an audacious character such as Faid is not easily contained behind bars. He has just escaped from prison and an international manhunt is ongoing. Faid escaped from the Lille-Sequedin Penitentiary on Saturday. Officials are calling the prison escape well organized, though they are still a bit hazy on the facts.
Faid was convicted of a robbery at Villiers-sur-Marne that led to the death of a young policewoman three years ago. Faid was set to meet with his lawyer to prepare for the trial. The lawyer, Jean-Louis Pelletier said the he was not surprised with the escape, arguing that Faid will use his remarkable intelligence “to serve his ambitions.” He also revealed that Faid could not stand to be in prison and wanted out.
Wanted
The Interpol is currently working with authorities to track Faid. An arrest warrant that is valid in 26 countries had been issued. The arrest warrant was confirmed by the Minister of Justice of France Christiane Taubira. Now, there are more questions than answers, as French police investigate how Faid had access to weapons and explosives.
According to police the convicted robber still has explosives and a gun in his person. State Prosecutor Frederic Fevre calls him a “dangerous prisoner.”
At gunpoint
Faid escaped from a detention facility in Lille in the northern region of France. The manner of his escape was rather dramatic. He held four prison guards and one more individual at gunpoint and then denoted explosives to get through five doors. The details of the escape were explained by the spokesman of the penitentiary, Etienne Dobrometz.
The prison guards that were held hostage are safe. They were released outside of the prison walls along a highway. But the prison guard’s Union is demanding an improvement in the safety measures that are in place in French prisons. They demand a more thorough search procedure for those who enter prison.
According to Jimmy Delliste, a former associate director of the facility from where Faid escaped, the prison is not old but it was not very well designed and makes watching over prisoners “difficult.” Delliste said that the design poses a problem in the management of inmates.
A life of crime
In his autobiography that was published in 2010 by La Manufacture De Livres, Faid shared his life story – how he achieved notoriety from being just a petty thief growing up in crime-ridden Paris suburbs. The convicted criminal likened himself to a notorious French gangster in the Seventies, Jacques Mesrine. The infamous Mesrine made a name for himself conducting heists and attempting prison breaks when caught.
Faid was first caught in 1998 and sentenced to serve 20 years in prison. He served his sentence at high security facilities for 10 years. He was paroled but was again put behind bars when he violated parole in 2011.
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