Paris (CNN) The gang that helped free one of France's most notorious criminals from prison used drones for reconnaissance as part of preparation for the jail break, the country's justice minister said Monday.

Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet said it was "without a doubt" that the group responsible for helping convicted robber Redoine Faid escape on Sunday -- for a second time -- from a French prison had used drones to observe the premises before using a helicopter to whisk him away to freedom.

"It's a completely exceptional escape that clearly required a very well-prepared commando group given there was a helicopter, three people and an instructor taken hostage," France's Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet said in a statement.

Faid escaped from the prison in Seine-et-Marne, near Paris, after two or three heavily armed men hijacked a helicopter and forced the pilot to fly to help him escape.

French prison escapee Redoine Faid escaped onboard a helicopter.

After picking Faid up Sunday, the armed men forced the pilot to fly them to the Val d'Oise region, northwest of Paris, before releasing the pilot unharmed and fleeing in an unidentified vehicle, the Interior Ministry said.

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