Redoine Faid, famous French gangster who escaped from prison in captured helicopter: AFP

A gangster who carried out a helicopter jailbreak in Hollywood was arrested in the north of France after three months of flight, announced Wednesday sources close to the investigation.

The famous French thief Redoine Faid was arrested in the night in the Oise, north of Paris, along with three other men, including his brother, a source said, confirming the information previously published in the media.

A gigantic manhunt was launched after Faid's bold escape on July 1, during which two heavily armed accomplices used smoke bombs and angle grinders to break through the doors and take her to a helicopter.

Faid, a career criminal convicted several times for armed robbery, was arrested in the Réeau prison, 30 km southeast of Paris.

Two men posing as flight school students who had already made an introductory flight forced a helicopter instructor, under the threat of a revolver, to take them to the prison.

The terrified pilot landed in the courtyard – the only part of the prison that was not equipped with anti-helicopter nets – sparking heated debate in France over the security of the country's prisons.

Faid had served a twenty-five-year sentence in which a female police officer was killed in 2010 while claiming that her death was accidental.

About a hundred specialized police officers were deployed to find the 46-year-old, who almost avoided being caught just a few weeks after his flight and had to abandon a car carrying explosives.

Faid had escaped from prison once before, for six weeks in 2013.

He cited as inspirational sources of movie villains such as Tony Montana in "Scarface" and stated that he had discovered his "calling" at the age of 12.

In July, the investigators found in the Oise a supply of firearms, masks and a cement cutter, which they thought belonged to his band.

Weapons were also seized during the raid Tuesday night in the town of Creil, which took place without incident, according to the source.