Rédoine Faïd

Rédoine Faïd ([ʁe.dwan fa.id]; born 10 May 1972) is a French gangster and serial jailbreaker, considered France's most wanted criminal in 2013.[2]

Rédoine Faïd
Born (1972-05-10) 10 May 1972[1]
Creil, France
OccupationGangster
Criminal status2009 released on parole
2013 in prison
Conviction(s)armed robbery, bank theft, attempted prison break, breaking parole
Criminal penalty1998 sentenced 30 years
2005 sentenced 3 years
2011 sentenced 8 years
2013 pending
Escaped
  • 13 April 2013 (first escape)
  • 1 July 2018 (second escape)
Escape end
  • 29 May 2013 (first escape)
  • 3 October 2018 (second escape)

Biography

Faïd was born in Creil to Algerian immigrant parents.[3][4]

In the mid-1990s, Faïd and Jean-Claude Bisel had led a criminal gang that was responsible for armed robbery, jewel theft, and extortion in the Paris area. In 1997, seven of eight accused were tried for said charges (the eighth having fled to Algeria).[5] Faïd spent three years on the run in Switzerland and the Palestinian Territories before being arrested in 1998. In his autobiography, he claimed to have disguised himself as an Orthodox Jew and learned Hebrew while in Israel, and that he was taught firearms skills by an Israeli soldier.[6][7][8][9] He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but was released on parole after serving ten years.[6][10]

In 2009 he wrote a book, Braqueur - Des cités au grand banditisme,[11] (Robber - From the Projects to Organized Crime) about growing up in a life of crime in Paris' banlieues,[12] and claimed to have given up a life of crime.[13] However, he was the suspected mastermind of an armed robbery that claimed the life of a policewoman in 2010, and subsequently was caught after he broke parole conditions in 2011, which returned him to prison for eight years.[10][14] Contra Mundum Press published an English translation of his book in 2020.[15]

2013

On the morning of 13 April 2013, he broke out of the Sequedin prison, using explosives to blast through five prison doors, holding four prison wardens hostage during the escape and employing the use of a getaway car.[2] He then burned the car in Lille and left in another vehicle. The same day, a Europe-wide warrant was issued.[16] Faïd was arrested again on 29 May 2013, in a B&B hotel in Pontault-Combault, Seine-et-Marne, France.[17] Interpol stated that he had been trying to obtain forged documents to reach Israel.[9]

2018

At around 11:30 am on 1 July 2018, Faïd was broken out of a prison in Réau with the help of three armed accomplices and a helicopter.[18] The helicopter had been hijacked from a nearby airfield by criminals posing as flight school students. At gunpoint, the flying instructor was forced to participate in the escape.[19][20] The helicopter was later found not far from Charles de Gaulle Airport, where it was believed he and the three men escaped by car,[21][22] and the flight instructor released uninjured.[19] French police focused primarily on a domestic manhunt, while also considering a potential lead that Faïd had fled abroad, with police cautioning that "beyond his charisma and aura, beyond the folklore, [Faïd] is a dangerous individual."[23]

Three weeks following his escape, Faïd narrowly avoided recapture after being spotted by police near Paris. On 24 July 2018, police identified Faïd as one of two people inside a car observing a service station. As they moved in, the suspects fled towards Sarcelles and managed to get away. The car was later found abandoned in a car park with plastic explosives inside.[24]

Prior to being apprehended, Faïd used a face-covering Islamic veil, (burqa) to move around in public spaces.[20] Faïd was apprehended again in Creil on 3 October 2018,[25] along with his brother and two other men. Weapons were seized during the police operation.[26]

Media influence

Faïd has been influenced by American crime films such as Scarface, Reservoir Dogs and Heat.[12][11] He reportedly told Michael Mann, the director of Heat "You were my technical adviser".[22] Faïd has also been compared to French bank robber and serial prison escapee Jacques Mesrine (1936–1979), and has described Mesrine as one of his heroes.[27][28][29]

Works
  • Rédoine Faïd, Braqueur: Des cités au grand banditisme (Paris: Manufacture de Livres, 2010)
  • Rédoine Faïd, Outlaw: Author Armed & Dangerous (New York: Contra Mundum Press, 2020)

See also

References
  1. "Un fourgon blindé de trop pour Redoine Faïd". France Soir (in French). 29 June 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  2. "France's most wanted, gangster Redoine Faid, uses explosives to blast out of jail". The Australian. 14 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  3. dw.com: French prisoner Redoine Faid escapes from Paris prison in helicopter (01.07.2018)
  4. heavy.com: Redoine Faid's Net Worth: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know (1 July 2018)
  5. "Huit jours pour juger les braqueurs". Le Parisien (in French). 8 October 2001. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  6. "La PJ coffre Rédoine Faïd, le braqueur médiatique" (in French). 28 June 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  7. "One of France's most-wanted, Redoine Faid, escapes from jail". Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  8. "Commando-style helicopter escape for French inmate who previously fled to Israel". Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  9. "Escaped gangster 'disguised as Orthodox Jew and heading for Israel'". Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  10. "French prisoner escapes after dynamiting through doors". The Telegraph. 13 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  11. "Polis jagar De-Niro inspirerad våldsman". Dagens Nyheter. 14 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  12. "Top French gangster Redoine Faid in spectacular jailbreak". Hindustan Times. 14 April 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  13. "Armed robber Redoine Faid in France prison escape". BBC News. 13 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  14. "Évasion de Sequedin : la garde à vue du frère de Redoine Faïd a été levée". Le Monde (in French). 14 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  15. "The Secrets of the World's Greatest Jailbreak Artist". GQ. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  16. "Top French gangster in spectacular jailbreak". Agence France-Presse. 14 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  17. "Fin de cavale en Seine-et-Marne pour le braqueur Redoine Faïd", Le Parisien, 29 May 2013
  18. "Gunmen help French gangster escape prison in helicopter". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  19. Mulholland, Rory (1 July 2018). "Manhunt underway after notorious French gangster Redoine Faid breaks free from jail in dramatic helicopter escape". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  20. "Helicopter jailbreak gangster captured in France after 3-month hunt". France 24. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  21. "Le braqueur Redoine Faïd s'évade par hélicoptère de la prison de Réau", Le Parisien, 1 July 2018
  22. "Redoine Faid: Paris helicopter prison break for gangster", BBC News, 1 July 2018
  23. "Gangster's 'loyal friends' behind jailbreak". BBC News. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  24. "French gangster on the run evades police". BBC News. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  25. "French jailbreak gangster hid in burqa". BBC. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  26. "French jailbreak gangster caught by police". BBC News. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  27. Sandrine Amiel; Holly Yan. "French convict escapes prison again -- this time with a hijacked helicopter". CNN. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  28. "France's enemy number one: Armed robber Redoine Faid is now on the run after a spectacular jail break". Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  29. Bacchi, Umberto (15 April 2013). "Is France's Jail Breaker Redoine Faid the New Jacques Mesrine?". Retrieved 2 July 2018.
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