MONTREAL: Two prisoners who staged a daring weekend escape from jail in eastern Canada using a hijacked helicopter have been re-arrested, authorities said on Monday.
The inmates were lifted out of Saint-Jerome prison near Montreal on Sunday by accomplices who had seized a helicopter, forcing its pilot to hover over the jail rooftop while the two were hauled up on a rope ladder.
Police in the French-speaking province of Quebec where the incident took place said that they soon found the pilot unharmed, but suffering from shock.
They also quickly tracked down one of the prisoners – Benjamin Hudon-Barbeau – along with his two outside accomplices. The 36-year-old appeared to have been injured, according to Quebec Provincial Police.
Danny Provencal, the other inmate, was later found holed up in a rural shack and surrendered, they said.
The incident marks the first time that a helicopter has been used in a jailbreak in Quebec.
Radio Canada said Hudon-Barbeau has ties to the Hells Angels motorcycle club, which is considered an organised crime syndicate by the US Department of Justice. There was no word about Provencal's background.
Media reports also suggested that the inmates had held a gun to the helicopter pilot's head during their escape.
The four involved in the jailbreak will appear in court in Saint-Jerome Monday to face charges.
