A young inmate recently managed to escape a prison in Lyon, France, by taking advantage of a fellow inmate’s release, hiding in their luggage, and waiting to be carried out of the maximum security facility.

The escape of 20-year-old Elyazid A. from Lyon-Corbas prison last Friday made national headlines all weekend, bringing into question both the prison’s security system and its notorious overcrowding. But what really caught the public’s attention was the manner in which the young inmate, who was serving several prison sentences for crimes connected to organized crime, managed to effortlessly leave the maximum security prison. According to inside sources cited by French media, the daring escape was made possible by the release of a fellow inmate who simply carried Elyazid out the front gate of the facility to a car waiting for him. It took the guards 24 hours to realize he was missing.

Photo: Hasan Almasi

“This is an extremely rare event that we have never experienced in this administration and which clearly reveals a whole series of serious dysfunctions,” the director of France’s prison administration told the press, acknowledging an “accumulation of errors”.

Although the full details of Elyazid A.’s prison break have not yet been made public, inside sources have revealed that the young inmate hid in a “visiting bag”, a large canvas sack used by inmates to carry their belongings upon release. For some reason, the released prisoner’s large bag didn’t attract the guard’s attention, and neither did the fact that he requested a cart to roll his heavy bag to the car waiting for him.

 

24 hours after Elyazid A.’s escape, French authorities launched a nationwide manhunt that ended with his arrest earlier today. The 20-year-old escapee was apprehended while exiting a cellar in Sathonay-Camp, north of Lyon, about 25 minutes by car from Corbas prison. His alleged accomplice, who now risks returning to prison despite having already served his time, was not with him and is still being hunted by police.

Back in 2017, we covered the similar story of a Venezuelan woman who tried smuggling her inmate boyfriend out of prison in a suitcase. Unlike Elyazid’s attempt, theirs failed, but they attracted international attention.