Gangster makes spectacular escape from jail in helicopter
Paris, July 2 : A notorious criminal who in the past had been branded as France's "Public Enemy No. 1" on Sunday made a cinematic escape from a prison near the country's capital in a helicopter, French authorities said.
Redoine Faid, who had already broken out of a different prison in 2013, was freed by an armed commando of three heavily-armed accomplices that landed on the jail's courtyard while he was in the visitation hall, Efe news agency reported quoting a Justice Ministry statement.
"The escape only lasted a few minutes," the statement said. "There were no hostages or injuries."
The ministry added that the prosecutor's office had launched an investigation and a search operation had been put in place by police.
The getaway helicopter was later found burnt, by local police, in the nearby Parisian suburb of Gonesse, next to the Charles de Gaulle International Airport.
Faid, 46, was serving a 25-year jail sentence at Reau prison, located 40 km to the southeast of Paris, for a botched robbery in 2010 that caused the death of a police officer.
In the 1990s, he was co-leader of a gang engaged in jewel theft, armed robbery and extortion in the Paris area. Although he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for these activities, he was released on parole after 10 years.
In 2009, Faid wrote a book titled "Robber: Cities of Organized Crime", in which he explored his childhood growing up in Paris' marginalised neighbourhoods, or banlieues.
But his greatest moment of notoriety came when he pulled off an astounding prison break that involved taking four guards as hostages and blasting several doors open with explosives, which quickly put him on the top of France's most-wanted list.
He was re-apprehended six weeks later at a Paris hotel and in 2017, he was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for that first jailbreak.
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India beat SA by 135 runs in 4th T20I, clinch series 3-1
Johannesburg, Nov 15: India beat South Africa by 135 runs in the fourth and final T20 International to clinch series 3-1 here on Friday.
Opting to bat, India posted a massive 283 for 1, thanks to unbeaten centuries from Tilak Varma (120 not out off 47 balls) and Sanju Samson (109 not out off 56 balls), and then bowled South Africa out for 148 in 18.2 overs.
Tristan Stubbs top-scored for South Africa with 46 while David Miller contributed 36.
For India, pacer Arshdeep Singh was the most successful bowler with figures of 3/20 while Varun Chakravarthy (2/42) and Axar Patel (2/6) got two wickets each.
Hardik Pandya, Ramandeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi got a wicket each.
Brief Scores:
India: 283 for 1 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 109 not out, Tilak Varma 120 not out; Lutho Sipamla 1/58).
South Africa: 148 all out in 18.2 overs (Tristan Stubbs 46, David Miller 36; Arshdeep Singh 3/20).
