Daniel Khalife prison escape: Key details after terror suspect is detained in west London
Officers apprehended the 21-year-old on Saturday morning in Chiswick.
What's happening? Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested after escaping from Wandsworth Prison, police have confirmed.
Officers apprehended the 21-year-old just before 11am on Saturday in Chiswick, west London, and he is currently in police custody.
The former soldier is believed to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday morning by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery lorry after leaving the prison kitchen in a cook’s uniform.
Officers had been searching Chiswick after confirmed sightings in the area.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak said he was “very pleased” Khalife had been arrested as he praised efforts by the police and the public in finding him.
The force carried out a search operation in Richmond Park in south west London overnight on Friday.
Police had stopped a van which Khalife is believed to have clung to the bottom of to escape prison.
How terror suspect Daniel Khalife pulled off the great escape from HMP Wandsworth (The Telegraph)
Terror suspect Daniel Khalife's prison escape – what we know (Yahoo News UK)
Yahoo News rounds up some of the key details after Khalife was caught:
Helicopter, police dogs and intelligence: How police tracked down Daniel Khalife
Police dogs, a helicopter and officers searching in back gardens eventually helped lead to Khalife’s capture following his escape from prison.
He was eventually found on a canal towpath in Northolt, west London, around eight miles from where he was last seen by a member of the public.
Commander Dominic Murphy said: “The officer was in that area as a result of being tasked to search for Daniel, saw him on a pedal cycle, was able to pull him off that pushbike, and arrest him at that moment in time.”
Rishi Sunak thanks police and public after terror suspect arrested
Rishi Sunak said he is “very pleased” Khalife has been arrested as he praised efforts by the police and the public in finding him.
Speaking to broadcasters at the G20 summit venue in New Delhi, the Prime Minister said: “I’m very pleased with the news and my thanks to the police officers for their fantastic work over the past couple of days, but also to the public who came forward with an enormous number of leads to help the police in their inquiries.
“It’s good news that we captured the person concerned. As people already know, the Justice Secretary has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances of his escape and that work will continue.
“This is obviously very welcome news. Again, my thanks to the police but also to the public for their help.”
'Chaos' in prison system will have played a role in Khalife’s escape, former prison boss says
The former director general of the Prison Service Phil Wheatley told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the terror suspect’s escape has highlighted the prison system is “in a degree of chaos at the moment”.
He said: “It is very difficult to make anything work well when you are just managing day by day to fumble your way through with too many prisoners and not enough staff,” he said.
“So, I would be surprised in the long run if that wasn’t one of the factors that led to things not working right.
“The system is just about at maximum capacity, it’s overflowing out into police cells, that’s driven by longer sentences."
Read more: Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots (Independent)
Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed
Police had released a photo of the chef uniform worn by Khalife when he escaped.
The outfit consisted of a white T-shirt, red and white checkered pants and brown steel-toe boots.
Khalife is believed to have escaped by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery lorry after leaving the prison kitchen in a cook’s uniform.
Police also offered a reward of up to £20,000 for information which led directly to the arrest of Khalife.
Read more: Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed (Independent)
Ex-prisoner who worked in kitchens with Khalife says he can see ‘how he escaped’
A former prisoner, 56, who worked alongside Khalife in the Wandsworth prison kitchens has spoken about how he may have managed to escape.
The unnamed man, who pent seven years on remand, recalled how "oddball" Khalife worked in the area that dealt with lorry deliveries.
He said on some occasions only one staff member was present during the hand-off to drivers and this may have presented an opportunity for the former soldier to climb underneath the vehicle.
Read more: Ex-prisoner who worked in kitchens with Khalife says he can see ‘how he escaped’ (National World)
