Broken voice, bent figure. Stéphane Buy, 70, still traumatized, came to testify Monday at the trial of Rédoine Faïd. He is the helicopter pilot taken hostage on the morning of July 1, 2018 for the spectacular escape of the repeat robber. It was under the pretext of a first flight that the pilot took the father and son into his plane. But very quickly after takeoff, they asked to land in a field for a pressing desire. “They are going to urinate, I stay in my place as pilot. It lasted a few minutes and then…
His voice breaks, he stops, apologizes, swallows his tears. “They pushed me to the ground, made me get on my knees,” Stéphane Buy painfully articulates, dark suit, bald head. “If I didn’t comply, they would kill someone in my family,” he recalls. He breaks down again. “They told me: ‘We have someone in front of your house’.” In the box, Rédoine Faïd, red sweater, stares at the ground.
A course full of obstacles
The pilot then relives the journey to the prison, the stop to collect hooded accomplices and equipment. Flights “5-10 meters above the ground while avoiding obstacles”, so as not to be spotted. Then the red roofs of the Réau prison which they see with its “huge logo which says ‘flying over’ is prohibited”. “They show me a very small triangular alley: stand there.”
During the seven long minutes when part of the commando goes to look for Rédoine Faïd – Stéphane Buy had lost track of time – he keeps his helicopter hovering one meter from the ground. To prevent the supervisors from shooting at the device, an investigator explained on the stand.
Sprayed with bleach
Then the criminals return, with “an unhooded gentleman”, Rédoine Faïd. “He gets in the helicopter, taps me on the knee. He tells me: ‘I’m not a terrorist, not a killer, take off’. “I say, ‘Where are we going?’ “. “Take off.” He follows the directions – “one move to the right, one move to the left”. To end up landing near Gonesse (Val-d’Oise) where the king of “beautiful” said to him: “Don’t worry, we’re going to spray you with bleach, it’s just to avoid the DNA traces”.
Stéphane Buy interrupts, we think he is going to talk about the terror he felt… but he gives a little, almost ashamed laugh, before explaining why he was found shirtless. “I had a new polo shirt, I liked it… It’s completely stupid but I wanted to save my polo shirt, so I took it off.”
Rachid Faïd “almost cried”
At the end of her story, President Frédérique Aline makes Rachid Faïd stand up, who shares the box with his little brother Rédoine and is suspected of being the “leader” of the commando. She asks him if he admits to having gotten into the helicopter. Rachid Faïd, 65, agrees. “I’m sorry, I almost cried when I saw how shocked the gentleman was,” he says, visibly touched.
At the helm, Stéphane Buy looks at him fixedly but does not react. The president makes Rédoine Faïd stand up. Looking serious and a little solemn, he makes an act of contrition. He who had already apologized to his family – two of his brothers and three nephews were tried alongside him – asked at length for “forgiveness” from the pilot, for having “a little… ruined your existence a little by this desire for freedom”, he said. The pilot remains turned towards the courtyard, then ends up looking at him, again without a word or gesture.