A French gangster who staged an extraordinary prison break could be posing as an Orthodox Jew and making his way to Israel.

Redoine Faid staged an extraordinary escape on Sunday from prison with the help from two others armed with Kalashnikovs and smoke bombs. He was airlifted out by helicopter.

More than 2,800 policemen have been searching for Faid but authorities now fear he might be disguising himself so he can flee the country.

The French gangster speaks Hebrew and has often said he wants to live in Israel. In his 2010 autobiography, he wrote that the only way he thought he could avoid the police would be disguising himself as an “ultra-Orthodox Jew”.

“Faid won’t be able to stay on the run in Europe but Israel may prove a lot easier,” an investigating source told the Evening Standard. 

“He has very strong links with Israeli groups.”

This is not Faid's first escape. In 2013, he broke out of Sequedin prison near Lille but was caught after six weeks. Interpol said he had been trying to get forged paperwork so he could travel to Tel Aviv.

He was then sentenced to 10 years on top of 25 years he was serving for killing a police woman during a van robbery.