The most wanted man in Britain, Daniel Khalife, is apprehended by police in Chiswick four days after he managed to get out of jail by hiding under a food truck.
On Wednesday, the former member of the British Army broke out of HMP Wandsworth.
Daniel Khalife, a terror suspect who escaped from Wandsworth Prison on Wednesday, has been detained by the Met police.
The former British Army soldier was apprehended by police just before 11:00 this morning in the Chiswick neighbourhood, according to a statement from the Met.
He is presently being held by police.
They expressed gratitude to the public for their cooperation and promised to offer further information on the arrest “in due course.”
This morning, as they expanded their search for the missing former British Army soldier, Chiswick police were examining car boots and requesting homeowners’ identification.
A police boat, dog teams, and armed policemen were also ready to support today’s rigorous searches.
On Wednesday morning, former soldier Khalife, 21, who is suspected of spying for Iran, escaped from Wandsworth Prison in a delivery van.
Prior to his trial for violations under the Official Secrets Act and terrorism, Khalife was being detained in custody.
Khalife dressed as a cook and escaped Wandsworth Prison by fastening himself to the underside of a delivery truck.
CCTV footage captures the van as it leaves the prison, but detectives think Khalife had already departed when the footage was taken.
After police verified a sighting of Daniel Abed Khalife close to Wandsworth Roundabout, the Met announced a reward of up to £20,000 for information that contributed to his capture.
More than 150 counterterrorism officers and employees from the Met were searching for Khalife nonstop.
Police helicopters were spotted flying overhead on Friday in the vicinity of Grove Park, Chiswick, and Richmond Park.
A tip-off was given to police by a member of the public who claimed to have seen a man resembling Khalife leaving a BidFood van that had stopped near the Wandsworth Roundabout’s south entrance at the top of Trinity Road shortly after his escape.
The individual was then observed making his way into the town core of Wandsworth.
Bidfood or its driver are not under suspicion, the police have emphasised, and they have stated that they have been totally cooperative.
Police either don’t know when Khalife made the decision to get out of his getaway car or haven’t said when they did.
Following the escape, a store employee reported seeing “a tall, lanky dude with dark hair,” whom he later claimed to recognise as Khalife from media photographs, in a black-colored vehicle outside Wandsworth County Court.
However, police have not yet confirmed whether this sighting is of interest.
On Wednesday morning, the witness, who worked at The Market – Putney Newsagents, heard a disturbance outside the business before observing the man race across the street and get into a car near the traffic lights on the opposite side of the street.
According to his manager, “There was a lot of beeping by cars and people were irritated.”
Around 7.30 that morning, when my friend—one of the shop’s employees—was working, he went outside and noticed a man rushing towards a black automobile.
A Bidfood truck was nearby, and the man was a tall, lanky man with black hair.
“My friend didn’t see him getting out of the van, but he saw him sprint across the street to the traffic lights,” said the friend.
The Met Police has launched a website for its UK Image Appeal that enables anyone to send any pertinent photos or videos directly to the investigative team.
This might be dash-cam, CCTV, doorbell, or cell phone footage.
“This remains a fast-paced and dynamic investigation, but I want the public to know that a large number of officers are working extremely hard to locate Khalife,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, who oversees the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
We appreciate everyone who has called us with information; we have now received more than 100 calls from the general public.
The observation near the Wandsworth Roundabout may be quite significant, and officers are looking into a number of useful leads in this regard.
We continue to implore members of the public to get in touch with us immediately if they believe they have seen Khalife or know where he may be.
We will continue to collaborate closely with all of our colleagues in police services around the nation and other partners to track down Khalife and return him to custody.
Officers are still concentrating their London-based investigations.
This included searching done in Richmond Park during the night and into the early hours of September 8th.
Security has been increased at ports and borders as a result of a nationwide alert issued on Wednesday.
Although the police have determined that Khalife “does not pose a threat to the wider public,” they urge the public to stay away from him and dial 999 right away.
On Wednesday at 7:50 a.m., the former soldier Khalife, 21, was reported missing.
The Met was alerted at 8:15 am and moved quickly to locate a delivery van that had escaped the prison.
Police officers pulled over the van at 8:37 in Upper Richmond Road, close to the intersection with Carlton Drive.
Officers conducted a thorough search and spoke with the driver.
The strapping was found by the police on the van’s bottom.Detectives think Khalife was concealing himself beneath the van and made his getaway using this strapping.
Based on GPS data detectives had got from the van, the police previously provided specifics of the path they believe Khalife escaped in after leaving Wandsworth Prison.
Further CCTV investigations revealed that the van left Wandsworth Prison and travelled the following route.
The van went onto Swandon Way when it got to the Wandsworth Roundabout and stayed on that road until it drove onto Fairfield Street.
Khalife is believed to have clung to the underside of the truck by constructing straps out of the plastic covering on his cell mattress.
Khalife was a member of the 16 Signal Regiment, whose motto is Find A Way Or Make One.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, stated that there were concerns regarding the “link between government austerity and this man escaping.”
There is a question regarding the relationship between government austerity and this man escaping in the medium and long terms, he said.
Wandsworth Prison is located in Tooting, where I previously served as a member of parliament.
I am aware from personal experience that Wandsworth Prison faces significant challenges due to its overcrowding and Victorian architecture, as well as a lack of funding and staffing.
Staffing shortages at Wandsworth are “the source of many problems,” according to Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor, who added that “in an ideal world” the facility would be closed.
The functioning of the prison has been deemed a “serious concern,” and in the year prior to the incident, watchdogs issued a number of warnings about the facility.
The suspect terrorist’s escape from the Category B prison, where security has long been a worry, is still a mystery.
He is said to have spied for Iran.
A prisoner who shared a kitchen with Khalife said how the two of them used to make jokes about hopping in a delivery truck and taking off.
Another ex-offender described how the staff was so overworked that they even asked him to help with the roll call of the prisoners on his wing.
A former independent reviewer of terrorism law who is also a lawyer today referred to Khalife’s ability to work in a kitchen with access to blades as “mind-boggling.”
Mr. Khalife has been “charged with gathering information which might be useful to an enemy,” according to Jonathan Hall KC, who also stated that he should have been housed in a higher security facility.”
Just based on what the authorities knew, I would have thought someone charged with espionage should be held more securely.”
One would have expected that you would look at the cutting-edge capabilities that might come with working for or having links with a hostile state,’ he added.
They were aware that he was charged with a very serious felony under the Official Secrets Act.
Mr. Hall also cautioned against legislation that would force all terrorist suspects into category A prisons.
“I’d be concerned if a response said that now everyone suspected of being a terrorist should be classified as a high escape risk.”