Daniel Khalife prison escape updates — ‘Terrorist’ inmate found and arrested by police in Chiswick
DANIEL KHALIFE has been caught by police in Northolt, west London, after escaping from Wandsworth prison under a food truck.
He's now in police custody and they said they'll provide further information in due course.
Khalife was apprehended just before 11am after several sightings.
Armed forces with police dogs were searching the area of Chiswick this morning.
Police also stopped and searched cars as they asked residents for proof of ID.
Read our Daniel Khalife live blog for the latest news and updates...
'Fugitive will rightly face full force of the law'
The home secretary has thanked the Metropolitan Police and said Daniel Khalife "will now rightly face the full force of the law."
Suella Braverman said: "I want to thank the Metropolitan Police, our agencies and Border Force for their work on this massive operation."
The former soldier was apprehended on a towpath next to a canal in Northolt, West London.
Police resources being redirected from manhunt to investigate how Khalife escaped
Commander of the Metropolitan Police Dominic Murphy, who is also the force's counter-terrorism chief, has explained that the resources from the manhunt to find Daniel Khalife are now being redirected towards an investigation into how he escaped.
Mr Murphy told Sky News: "We will pivot all of our resource from the manhunt for Daniel Khalife into now ensuring that we conduct a full investigation into how he escaped and any further criminal charges and anyone that might have helped him…
"If you were supporting or assisting Daniel – before, during or after his escape – you will still form part of our investigation, and we will find you.
"We need to now focus on that part of our work, now that he’s in custody."
Commander shares further details of Khalife's arrest
The commander of the Metropolitan Police has shared more details about how the escaped prisoner was apprehended.
Dominic Murphy said: "The officer was responding as part of our search strategy following the call from the members of public.
"And of course, we work really closely with intelligence partners here in counter terrorism.
"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.
After his arrest, Daniel was fully cooperative.”
'Huge amounts of effort' exerted to understand how Daniel Khalife escaped
Metropolitan Police commander Dominic Murphy said: "I know huge amounts of efforts are taking place within the Ministry of Justice and the Prison Service now to understand how Daniel escaped.
"That will form part of our investigation but my interest... has always been in trying to find Daniel and put him back into custody.
"We now pivot our resources into the investigation to understand how he escaped and that’s where our focus will be.
“In terms of the prison, it’s really a matter for the Prison Service and the Ministry of Justice.”
'We wouldn't have been able to find anything without the public's help'
Metropolitan Police commander Dominic Murphy has said the cooperation of the public was key in apprehending escaped convict Daniel Khalife.
The former soldier was apprehended on a towpath next to a canal in Northolt, West London.
Commander Dominic Murphy said: “We wouldn’t have been able to find anything without the public’s help and support. It really helped focus our efforts.
“Clearly, this has also been an intelligence-led investigation, but the media and the public have played a very, very substantial role and that cooperation has been so significant in finding Daniel and making sure that he’s back in custody today.”
Witness account of moments following arrest of Daniel Khalife
A passerby witnessed the moments after Daniel Khalife was pulled from his moving bicycle on a towpath next to a canal in Greenford, West London, and arrested by a plainclothes police officer.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "I look back and it seemed like two guys having an argument. I didn't know at the time what was happening.
"I read up on it later on. It didn't seem like it was the guy because they said Chiswick.
"I walked away. It didn't even click. It seemed a bit random.
"They must have had people on every approach to the canal side knowing that he was cycling."
Deep dive into Khalife’s alleged crimes, continued
During a previous court appearance, he was accused of “eliciting” personal information about soldiers from the Ministry of Defence Joint Personnel Administration System.
And he “attempted to elicit information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.”
He has denied all the charges against him.
Deep dive into Khalife’s alleged crimes
Khalife was being held in prison awaiting trial for terror offences and alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act.
He was accused of allegedly planting fake bombs at the military base of MOD Stafford.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how he left the devices “with the intention of inducing in another the belief the item was likely to explode or ignite”.
Daniel Khalife was pulled from a bike during arrest
Plainclothes police pulled Daniel Khalife from a bicycle before he was arrested, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed.
The former soldier was apprehended on a towpath next to a canal in Greenford, West London.
Commander Dominic Murphy said he was cooperative when arrested, adding that the search was "extremely complicated" and that Khalife "will still stand trial for the original offences" he was imprisoned for, as well as being unlawfully at large and being an escaped prisoner.
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What was Daniel Khalife wearing when he escaped?
Police have revealed the kitchen clothes Danile Khalife was wearing when he escaped from HMP Wandsworth.
Khalife is understood to have broken out of the lockup by attaching himself to the bottom of a Bidfood delivery vehicle.
You can see what he was wearing when he fled below:
Met thanks media and public for assistance
The Metropolitan Police has thanked the public and media for their assistance in capturing escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife earlier today.
Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth on the morning of September 6 and was apprehended in Chiswick at 11am today.
The Met said: "We would like to thank the public and media for their support throughout our investigation to locate Khalife, and we will provide a further update on his arrest in due course."
Khalife was on the dock in February
Daniel Khalife, from Beacon Barracks in Stafford, appeared in court on February 7, this year, wearing a black sweater and blue pants and speaking only to confirm his name and date of birth.
His father sat in the public gallery for the five-minute hearing.
Khalife was remanded in jail by Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring to appear at the Old Bailey on February 17.
He said: “You did not enter a plea. These matters are very serious. If you are convicted you are going to face a prison sentence in years not months. Therefore this court’s powers are insufficient.”
HMP Wandsworth reated as ‘serious concern’ by prison watchdog
HMP Wandsworth‘s performance was rated as a “serious concern”, with watchdogs issuing a number of warnings in the past year.
The “serious concern” rating came in the Annual Prison Performance Ratings for 2022/23, which was published in July. It also received the same damning rating in 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19.
It received 46.4% in an overall performance score based on measures including rehabilitation, training and security.
In findings published in January 2022 after an inspection in September 2021, chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor warned: “Staffing shortfalls were preventing the prison from running a decent and predictable regime.
“More than 30% of prison officers were either absent or unable to work their full duties.
“Around a quarter were less than a year in post and more than 10% had resigned in the last 12 months.”
How did Daniel Khalife escape?
Here is how escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife is believed to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth .
Khalife has specialist military escape and evasion training
Terror suspect Daniel Khalife received specialist military escape and evasion training during his time within the Army.
He learned how to avoid capture during his time with the Royal Signal at Blandford Barracks.
Read more on his training below.
Chiswick resident explains what it was like during the search
Chiswick residents woke up to the sounds of helicopters this morning as police conducted an intensive search for Daniel Khalife.
Paul Wade, 79, PA news agency: "They were checking everybody’s gardens. Our neighbour told us there were sniffer dogs.
"As we understand it, they just clambered over the walls and inspected, they didn’t wake everybody up. They just checked. They had helicopters above."
What did the justice secretary say?
Justice secretary Alex Chalk said: "I would like to thank the police and partners for their comprehensive efforts over recent days. I am also grateful to staff across HMPPS (HM Prison and Probation Service) for their continued focus and professionalism.
"With Daniel Khalife now in custody, the legal process must be allowed to take its course. Nothing should be said or done to prejudice any future trial.
"The investigations I requested into prison security and categorisation are well in train, and I will leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of how this serious breach was possible."
'We need answers' on how Khalife escaped prison
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper took to social media, asking for answers on how Daniel Khalife escaped prison.
She wrote: "Thank you to all the police & intelligence teams involved in the search and arrest of Daniel Khalife - very welcome news he has now been caught.
"Now we need answers about how on earth a prisoner charged with terror & national security offences could have escaped in this way."
Inmates used to 'joke' about jumping on the lorry and driving it off
Jones added how Khalife used to unload lorry deliveries at the Category B jail and inmates sometimes used to "joke" about jumping in the vehicle and driving it off.
He added how there was a swarm of security surrounding the truck so he was "surprised" Khalife managed his escape.
Jones added: "Having said this, many mistakes were made all the time, all down to staffing issues.
"One time we were put on lockdown because there was an inmate missing, but it turned out that he had been released the day before but it hadn't been correctly registered.
"So in that sense, I'm not surprised that someone slipped up, or that they didn't have enough people to staff the kitchen, and that he took his chance to unload the truck and vanish underneath the lorry."
Inmate who worked with Khalife in prison reveals what terror suspect said to him
Prisoner Chris Jones was in the same kitchen at HMP Wandsworth and worked with Daniel Khalife.
He said Khalife was brought in as a vulnerable prisoner to work alongside other inmates.
Jones left prison after seven months on remand when he acquitted and now said how the terror suspect "seemed like an odd sausage."
He told the : "One lunchtime he came in saying that he was going be famous. I told him: 'I think you've got on the wrong bus, mate.'
"He would come to work with a comb and mirror constantly checking his appearance, although I can't say I thought much of it."
Khalife was urged by close relative to hand himself in
An unnamed family member of the 21-year-old terror suspect urged Khalife to hand himself in.
Speaking to The Time, he described Daniel Khalife as a "very, very intelligent, easygoing and kind boy" who changed in the past year.
The relative told the outlet: "If I could talk to him, I would tell him to end this and give himself up, even though I understand he is afraid."
They added how it's unlikely Khalife would ask family for help during his escape: "He would never want to cause us any problems. He loves us very much."
Rishi Sunak 'pleased' Khalife is caught
Speaking to broadcasters at the G20 summit venue in New Delhi, Rishi Sunak 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.
"And this is obviously very welcome news. And again, my thanks to the police but also to the public for their help."
Who is Daniel Khalife?
Daniel Khalife is a former member of the Royal Signals.
He was based at Beacon Barracks in Stafford.
Khalife was on remand awaiting trial as he was accused of planting fake bombs at an RAF base in January, a charge under the Terrorism Act and another under the Official Secrets Act which alleges he committed "an act prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state."
The charge under the Official Secrets Act alleges that Khalife collected personal information about soldiers from an MoD computer system that could be useful to an enemy.
After the bomb hoax, he vanished for more than three weeks and was arrested on January 26.
He was due to stand on trial on November 20.
Public saw Khalife soon after escape
A member of the public saw a man resembling the terror suspect walking away from the BidFood delivery van as it stopped near the Wandsworth roundabout at the top of Trinity Road.
He was seen walking towards Wandsworth town centre.
Commander Dominic Murphy - who leads the Met's counter-terrorism command - said the "confirmed" sighting could be "very significant."
He also urged Khalife to hand himself in as he personally addressed the terror suspect.
The commander said: "My message to him is to hand yourself in, either call us or go to a local police station and hand yourself in.
"With the reward we are offering today and the amazing support we have had from the public and the media, we will be closing in on you, Daniel, you really need to come in and give yourself up."
