Notorious French armed robber and escape artist Rédoine Faïd was airlifted on Thursday from the high-security prison of Vendin-le-Vieil in Pas-de-Calais to an undisclosed facility, according to people familiar with the operation. A helicopter operated by the prison service and a GIGN commando escorted the 53-year-old, whose two previous break-outs — including a 2018 escape by helicopter — made him one of France’s most closely watched inmates. The transfer came on the last day of a deadline set by the Douai Court of Appeal, which ruled on 21 July that the long-term isolation conditions imposed on Faïd were “contrary to human dignity” and ordered the prison administration to relax them within a month. Faïd’s lawyers say they were not consulted about the move and accuse authorities of using the relocation to avoid complying with the court’s instructions. Faïd has been incarcerated almost continuously since 2011 and kept in solitary confinement for most of that period, apart from the 2013 and 2018 escapes. He is serving multiple sentences that, combined with penalties for his jailbreaks, run to 2057. The Justice Ministry has not disclosed where he is being held or whether his detention regime will change.