A notorious gangster, who was once France's most-wanted man, has escaped prison by helicopter, French authorities say.
Redoine Faid, 46, broke out of the prison in Paris within minutes with the help of three heavily armed men.
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According to the MailOnline, it's the second time Faid has pulled off a spectacular jailbreak - in 2013 Faid used explosives to blast his way through five prison doors and escape from another prison, briefly taking four wardens hostage. He was recaptured six weeks later.
BFM-TV reported that the breakout was orchestrated as Faid was in the prison's visiting room at about 11.30am local time.
It is believed that three armed and well-trained men presented themselves and demanded Faid's release, managing to whisk him away in a helicopter parked in a nearby school yard, according to French media.
Once the aircraft landed, around 37 miles from the prison, the group were picked up in a black Renault car. The Telegraph reports that they dumped the helicopter and set it on fire.
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The Ministry of the Interior said a huge police response has been ordered in an attempt to catch the fugitive, who has been described as 'dangerous'.
Faid was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his part in a 2010 hold-up of a cash-transport van which led to the death of a 26-year-old policewoman.
He published a book in 2010 claiming that he had given up his life of crime.