Police catch a top French convict after daring prison escape

PARIS (AP) — Police have caught one of France's most wanted men, three months after his spectacular helicopter escape from prison.

French Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet said on Europe 1 radio that Redoine Faid was arrested early Wednesday in Creil, north of Paris, without resistance.

BFMTV and the newspaper Le Monde reported that two men, including Faid's brother, and a woman were also arrested. They cited sources close to the investigation.

Faid escaped from Reau prison on July 1 with the help of armed, masked men who took a helicopter pilot hostage, forced him to land in the prison yard, used power tools to break through the prison doors and hustled Faid to freedom.

Faid, 46, was serving time for a 2010 attempted armed robbery that left a police officer dead.

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This story has been corrected to give Faid's first name as Redoine, not Redouine.