A notorious French bank robber and gang leader escaped from prison in style.

Redoine Faid escaped from prison on Sunday, July 1, when two men dressed in all black wearing balaclavas and police armbands showed up at the prison where he was being held. Faid was in the visiting room with his brother when the men arrived; the masked men used an angle grinder to open the visiting room door, according to The Associated Press.

Once the men secured Faid, they took him to a waiting helicopter. A flight instructor the men had taken hostage flew Faid and the masked men away, the BBC reports.

The helicopter was found burned in a Paris suburb. The pilot, who was held at gunpoint during the entire escape, was freed and found unharmed. Faid and his accomplices are believed to have escaped in a car and have not been located.

An investigation and manhunt are underway. Faid’s brother was taken into police custody and questioned.

Faid was serving a 25-year sentence for the death of a police officer during a botched robbery. This is his second escape from prison. In 2013, he took four correctional officers hostage and used hidden explosives to blast through five prison doors so he could meet a waiting getaway driver. He was recaptured six weeks later. 

Someone better keep an eye on El Chapo before he gets any ideas!

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prison escapeRedoine Faid