Daniel Khalife – live: Suspect used bed sheets to strap himself to van in Wandsworth prison escape, court hears
Daniel Abed Khalife appears before Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with escaping from prison
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Daniel Khalife used a material that may have been from “bed sheets” to strap himself to the underside of a van when he escaped from prison last week, a court has heard.
Khalife appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday after being captured and charged with escaping from prison. He was remanded in custody.
The suspected terrorist was arrested on a canal towpath in west London at 10.41am on Saturday after being pulled off a push bike by a plain-clothes counter-terrorism officer.
His detention brought a dramatic end to a 75-hour nationwide land and air manhunt after Khalife went missing from the prison on Wednesday.
Prior to his alleged escape, Khalife was on remand at HMP Wandsworth after being charged with terror offences in January.
The incident has highlighted inadequacies in the condition of the facility, with the chief inspector of prisons calling for it to be shut down.
Inmates moved out of Wandsworth Prison after Daniel Khalife escape
Timeline of events leading to recapture of terror suspect Daniel Khalife
Mapped: The 75-hour hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife – arrested 45 minutes down the road
Who is Daniel Abed Khalife? Royal Signals soldier and terror suspect arrested after 75 hours on run
Met Police ‘pivoting’ investigation to Khalife’s escape and if other persons were involved
The Metropolitan Police said it will now be “pivoting” its investigation to Khalife’s escape and if other people were involved after the terror suspect was captured on Saturday morning.
In a press release on Saturday evening Commander Dominic Murphy said: “Our priority following Khalife’s escape was to find him and bring him back to custody, which, thanks to the help of the public, and the excellent work by our officers, we have achieved.
“We are now pivoting our investigation towards the circumstances of his escape and whether there may have been any other persons involved and that investigation continues.”
Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife arrested as police tackle him off bike
A terror suspect who escaped from prison by strapping himself to the underside of a delivery lorry has been caught after being tackled off his bike on a towpath by a police officer.
Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, a former soldier who fled HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, was arrested on suspicion of being unlawfully at large and being an escaped prisoner.
He was spotted by the plainclothes counterterrorism officer just before 11am on Saturday in northwest London, about 12 miles from where he fled, and is now in police custody, the Metropolitan Police said. Khalife was found with the bike, a sleeping bag and a cool bag full of food.
Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife arrested as police tackle him off bike
Former soldier in custody three days hours after escaping from Wandsworth prison
Terror suspect ‘laughed and winked’ during arrest
Terror suspect Daniel Khalife “laughed and winked” at onlooker after being detained by police on Saturday morning.
Student Ethan Andrews, 20, witnessed the arrest, he told The Sun: “The guy looked up at me, winked and started laughing. I thought, how arrogant is that?
“I can’t believe he was just sitting there, looked at me and just winked.”
Daniel Khalife arrested by police in west London
Who is Daniel Abed Khalife? Royal Signals soldier and terror suspect arrested after 75 hours on run
A soldier turned terror suspect, Daniel Abed Khalife has been the subject of a nationwide manhunt, having finally been captured 75 hours after outwitting the guards at a London prison.
He escaped in a chef’s outfit by using straps to cling onto a food delivery van.
Police commissioner Mark Rowley said the escape was “clearly pre-planned” – pointing to “the fact he could strap himself onto the bottom of the wagon”, referring to the delivery van Khalife used to flee.
With airports and ports installing additional security measures and holidaymakers reporting delays at border control, his escape has posed serious questions about the suitability of his incarceration at a Category B prison.
Prior to his arrest in January, the 21-year-old had formerly been a serving soldier in the British Army since 2018 and had worked as a computer network engineer with the Royal Corps of Signals.
All we know about Daniel Khalife: Royal Signals soldier arrested after prison escape
Military computer engineer finally in custody after escaping Wandsworth prison under food delivery van
Daniel Khalife escape: Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots
The chief inspector of prisons has revealed the chaos inside overcrowded Wandsworth jail where inmates tell staff the rules – as questions mount about the “inside help” fugitive Daniel Khalife was given to make his dramatic escape.
Writing exclusively for The Independent, Charlie Taylor described “small, dark and cramped” cells plagued with damp and vermin, where inmates are routinely locked up for 22 hours a day with little access to education or training to break the cycle of offending.
Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots
Ex-soldier suspected of spying for Iran belonged to British regiment dealing with ‘highly sensitive’ communications for key Nato reaction force, The Independent understands
Timeline of terror suspect Daniel Khalife’s escape from Wadsworth Prison and eventual arrest
Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested on the fourth day of a manhunt after he escaped from HMP Wandsworth underneath a lorry.
The 21-year-old was arrested just before 11am on Saturday in Chiswick, west London, and is now in police custody, the force said.Officers descended on Chiswick with police dogs in tow after “intelligence-led activity” and confirmed sightings from members of the public in the area overnight.
Timeline of events around capture of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife
The search for the 21-year-old has finally ended on its fourth day
Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife arrested in Chiswick
How 75-hour manhunt for terror suspect panned out
The manhunt for 21-year-old escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife started after prison staff alerted the Metropolitan Police force at 7:50am on Wednesday.
A national search ensued in the next four days, involving 150 Met officers and staff, as well as colleagues from other forces across the UK.
Officers worked “at pace around the clock” receiving more than 100 calls from members of the public.
The suspect is believed to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth prison strapped to the bottom of a delivery lorry on Wednesday.
Mapped: The hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife - arrested 45 minutes away
Former soldier arrested in Chiswick on Saturday morning, four days after fleeing Wandsworth Prison
A member of the public reported seeing Khalife walking away from a Bidfood van near Wandsworth Roundabout after he made his escape from the prison.
Police helicopters circled around the Thames in west London looking for the 21-year-old.
The police force then focused its search in Chiswick after confirmed sightings.
Shortly after, the Met announced that the suspect had been nabbed in Chiswick and is currently in police custody.
Commander thanks public for support in capturing terror suspect
Counter-terrorism Commander Dominic Murphy thanked the public for their support in capturing escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife.
“I am pleased to say that after 75 hours of my team and support from the Metropolitan police in leading the manhunt for Daniel Khalife, this morning he was arrested and he is now back in custody,” Mr Murphy said in a video message shared on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.
“In no small part, this is thanks to support from the public who have called in their hundreds to support our manhunt. So I would like to thank you for all your efforts,” the commander said.