Daniel Khalife’s escape follows a rich – and troubled – history of prison breaks

The terror suspect shares a place in criminal history with members of the IRA, a train robber and an ex-MI6 agent, writes Guy Walters

Daniel Khalife was subject to a 75-hour manhunt (PA)

Prison breaks summon up conflicting feelings. At first, there is deep concern, a justifiable worry that an often-violent criminal is now on the loose. But then – as details of the escape emerge ­– there is a reluctant admiration for the man on the run and a thrill engendered not only by his resourcefulness but also of course by the chase. Hollywood knows this conflict all too well, which is why prison break movies invariably feature the wrongly imprisoned, in order to make our enjoyment of the escape more morally comfortable.

Unfortunately, there is no such comfort to be found in the escape of Daniel Abed Khalife from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday and his capture. Khalife, who was being held on remand for terror offences, is far from the movie archetype of the falsely accused hero who deserves our sympathy and support. Instead his arrest on Saturday – having been yanked from a bicycle – should be cheered.

This is the problem with nearly all great prison breaks, although there are a few exceptions. Among them is that of the Jesuit priest, John Gerard, who had been imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1594 for running an underground Catholic ministry. After enduring years of torture, Gerard managed to escape in October 1597 by clambering along a rope that some accomplices had secured over the moat. Owing to his tortures, the 33-year-old Gerard found such gymnastics immensely difficult.