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LONDON — A terrorism suspect whose sensational escape from a London jail launched a nationwide manhunt was discovered and arrested, the Metropolitan Police stated.
Daniel Abed Khalife, essentially the most wished man in Britain, was arrested simply earlier than 11 a.m. on Saturday in an space of west London.
The main points appeared like one thing out of a prison-break movie. Khalife, 21, a former British soldier, was in jail awaiting trial on expenses of breaking the Official Secrets and techniques Act and terrorism-related offenses. He slipped out of London’s Wandsworth jail early Wednesday morning. Police stated they believed he escaped by clinging to the underside of a meals supply van.
Jail breaks are very uncommon in the UK — solely 10 inmates have damaged out of jail up to now 5 years — and his escape kicked off a nationwide manhunt, which included enhanced checks at ports and airports. Police provided a £20,000 ($25,000) reward for info that led to his arrest. Officers additionally scoured Richmond Park in southwest London, certainly one of London’s largest inexperienced areas, well-known for its deer.
On Saturday, police intensified their search within the Chiswick space of west London following “confirmed sightings in that space in a single day, together with calls from members of the general public.” They stated he had modified out of the garments he escaped in — a prison-issued chef’s uniform — and was sporting a black baseball cap, black T-shirt and darkish pants.
Chiswick is about six miles from the jail. He would have needed to cross the River Thames to get there.
Talking to reporters on the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that he was “very happy with the information,” and praised efforts by the police and the general public, who got here ahead with “an infinite variety of leads.”
London police assessed that his escape was preplanned and stated they had been investigating whether or not it was an inside job involving jail workers.
Metropolitan Police chief Mark Rowley stated police had been asking: “Did anybody contained in the jail assist him? Different prisoners, guard workers? Was he helped by individuals exterior the partitions or was it merely all of his personal creation?”
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Khalife was described by officers as “very resourceful.” When police searched the meals supply van — 47 minutes after Khalife was declared lacking — they stated they discovered straps on the underside of the van. It’s unclear how he was in a position to supply the straps.
Jail escapes are laborious to drag off. How did these fugitives do it?
He has been awaiting trial on accusations of leaving pretend bombs at Royal Air Drive Stafford, the army base in England the place he was stationed. He was additionally charged with attempting to elicit details about one other member of the British armed forces that may very well be utilized in making ready an act of terrorism. And he was accused of attempting to spy for a hostile state, recognized by the BBC as Iran.
Policing analysts stated that the important thing breakthrough within the investigation most likely got here when a member of the general public reported seeing the prisoner emerge from beneath the truck. As soon as that report was deemed credible, the police may focus efforts on that space and switch to the town’s intensive community of surveillance cameras. London is likely one of the most closely surveilled cities on this planet.
Wandsworth jail is a dystopian-looking facility in southwest London. It’s certainly one of solely 9 jails out of 119 in England and Wales that was rated a “severe concern” in an annual report by the Ministry of Justice. That’s the lowest rating potential for general efficiency.
British Justice Secretary Alex Chalk stated that he’ll go away “no stone unturned in attending to the underside of how this severe breach was potential.”