International hunt for fugitive French gangster

Redoine Faid held five people, including four guards, at gunpoint at the detention center in the city in northern France on Saturday, officials said. He then burst his way to freedom by detonating explosives that destroyed five doors, according to penitentiary union spokesman Etienne Dobrometz.

Interpol announced yesterday that it issued its wanted notice, known as a red notice, within hours of Faid's escape. A European arrest warrant covering 26 countries also was issued for him on Saturday.

Red notices alert police agencies across the world that a person is wanted, but they are not arrest warrants. Each of Interpol's 190 member countries is expected to apply its national laws and standards in determining whether to detain the wanted person.

The four guards who Faid allegedly held hostage "are safe and sound," Lille prosecutor Frederic Fevre said.
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