It's interesting that he chose to fly to France knowing fully well that he will be arrested. It is also not surprising, because he has French citizenship and France does not extradite its citizens. Looks like a tactical move on his part when his legal team told him he ran out of options and he much preferred to spend time in a French prison than in a Federal prison in the US.
I haven't got access to the timelines, but I'd be surprised if his arrest wasn't negotiated with his lawyers. He had no reason to go there, but chose to do so.
