Interpol issues warrant for French jailbreak gangster

Interpol has issued an international arrest warrant for French criminal Redoine Faïd after his escape from a northern French prison at the weekend. The gangster is armed and “exceptionally dangerous, French officials warn.

Interpol

A Europe-wide alert has been sounded for Faïd, who escaped from Sequedin prison on Saturday using explosives and taking four hostages.

And Interpol has posted a “red notice” calling for his immediate arrest and extradition by police wherever he is found.

Faïd is guilty of “armed robbery committed as a member of an organised gang, attempted murder of an officer of the Gendarmerie Nationale on duty committed as a member of an organised gang, destruction of or wilful damage to property belonging to others using dangerous methods or by arson committed as a member of an organised gang, criminal conspiracy, all committed as a repeat offender”, the notice says.

Faïd was serving time for robberies and likely to receive a heavy sentence for his part in the death of a female police officer in a shootout in 2010.

The authorities want to know how he laid his hands on explosives but his brother, who visited him in prison the morning of the escape, was released on Monday after being questioned all day Sunday.

France’s right-wing opposition have accused Justice Minister Christiane Taubira of failing to pay attention to the country’s overcrowded prisons, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen declaring her “a danger to the republic”.

Taubira herself declared that prison staff were not responsible for the escape, which was meticulously planned.

Police trade unionist, Cédric Deprez, expressed surprise at right-wing criticism of the lack of searches after visits, pointing out that the preceding government passed the law that ended them.