Daniel Khalife caught in west London
Daniel Khalife, the former soldier who absconded from a prison kitchen by strapping himself to the underside of a delivery van, has been recaptured.
Khalife, 21, was arrested in Chiswick, west London, on Saturday, having gone missing in his cook’s uniform from HMP Wandsworth in London on Wednesday morning.
The Metropolitan police said they had arrested him just before 11am on Saturday. He is being held in police custody.
The force added:
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.
Metropolitan Police officers have arrested Daniel Khalife who escaped from HMP Wandsworth on 6 Sep
Officers apprehended him just before 11am today in the #Chiswick area, and he is currently in police custody
We thank the public and media for their support with info & appeals
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 9, 2023
Key events
Chiswick resident Paul Wade said he opened his curtains to find five police officers outside his home earlier today.
The 79-year-old told the 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.
How did Khalife escape?
Dan Sabbagh
It was hardly the most sophisticated escape, and it should have been easy enough to prevent. At 7.32am on Wednesday a food delivery van turned right out of Wandsworth prison’s Victorian gates, concluding what should have been an uneventful run.
Except this time, 21-year-old former soldier and terror and spy suspect Daniel Abed Khalife had managed to strap himself underneath the vehicle, evading the beleaguered jail’s security and becoming only the seventh prisoner to escape from prison in England and Wales in the past five years.
Khalife had secured himself a position working in the prison canteen, considered a plum role for somebody who could be trusted. It was also a place where deliveries would routinely take place, bringing in food to the 1,500-plus inmates and staff at the south London jail first built in 1851.
Police were not called by the prison until 8.15am and the van was not stopped until it had travelled about three miles in the morning rush hour to nearby Upper Richmond Road, by which time Khalife had disappeared.
The Home Office minister Chris Philp congratulated the police for their “rapid and effective” work to apprehend the terror suspect.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, he wrote:
Great work by the Met Police. Well done for a rapid and effective piece of work to catch this fugitive. An example of policing at its best. Congratulations to all Officers involved in this operation
Inquiry into how Khalife escaped ‘will leave no stone unturned’, says justice secretary
The justice secretary, Alex Chalk, said that he will leave “no stone unturned” in the investigations launched after the escape of Daniel Khalife, who is back in custody.
In a statement, the cabinet minister 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.
Labour has demanded answers from the government now that Daniel Khalife has been arrested.
The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, wrote on social media:
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.
Residents in the Chiswick area reported hearing helicopters overhead throughout this morning.
Earlier, Scotland Yard released a statement saying the area of south-west London, just under 5 miles from the prison from which he escaped, was the focus of their search.
Officers said he had changed out of the prison kitchen uniform of a white T-shirt and red and white gingham trousers, into a black baseball cap, black T-shirt and dark-coloured trousers. They added that they believed he had been carrying a small bag or case.
Members of the public had reported sightings of him in the area, the other side of the River Thames from HMP Wandsworth.
Rishi Sunak has praised efforts by the police and the public in finding Khalife.
Speaking to broadcasters at the G20 summit venue in Delhi, India, 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.
This is obviously very welcome news. Again, my thanks to the police but also to the public for their help.
Daniel Khalife caught in west London
Daniel Khalife, the former soldier who absconded from a prison kitchen by strapping himself to the underside of a delivery van, has been recaptured.
Khalife, 21, was arrested in Chiswick, west London, on Saturday, having gone missing in his cook’s uniform from HMP Wandsworth in London on Wednesday morning.
The Metropolitan police said they had arrested him just before 11am on Saturday. He is being held in police custody.
The force added:
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.
Metropolitan Police officers have arrested Daniel Khalife who escaped from HMP Wandsworth on 6 Sep
Officers apprehended him just before 11am today in the #Chiswick area, and he is currently in police custody
We thank the public and media for their support with info & appeals
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 9, 2023
