Police reveal where terror suspect Daniel Khalife disappeared after Wandsworth prison escape
No sightings have yet been confirmed of the former British Army soldier
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
The route taken by the delivery van that Daniel Khalife was clinging to during his prison break has been revealed by police, as the nationwide manhunt continues.
The 21-year-old terror suspect only had one hour and five minutes from his escape at HMP Wandsworth at 7.32am until police stopped the van on Upper Richmond Road at 8.37am.
While no trace of Khalife was found inside the van, strappings were discovered which suggested he had been clinging on to its underside as it was exiting the prison gates.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, said it was “a little unusual” that there had been no confirmed sightings of Khalife and stressed that that he was a “trained soldier” and a “very resourceful individual”.
He also revealed that the police were alerted to the situation at 8.15am after the prison authorities became aware of Khalife’s absence at 7.50am.
Timeline of one-hour window to escape
7.32am - A Bidfood delivery vehicle exits the gates of HMP Wandsworth, unaware that Khalife is clinging onto strappings on its underside. It is believed he was wearing a chef’s outfit while working in the prison kitchens.
After leaving the prison, the delivery van turned right onto Heathfield Road and left onto Magdalen Road.
It then travelled left onto Trinity Road before heading up to the Wandsworth Road roundabout. The vehicle then took the first exit to Swandon Way and left onto Old York Road which is near Wandsworth Town train station.
7.50am - Prison guards realise Khalife is missing and the prison goes into an immediate lockdown, with security measures put in place.
8.15am - The Metropolitan Police are alerted to the situation.
Meanwhile, the van has taken a left into Fairfield Street and taken a right onto Wandsworth High Street before heading straight ahead to West Hill which leads up to Upper Richmond Road.
Shortly afterwards, the delivery driver is made aware of the situation and turns around to return to the prison.
8.37am - The vehicle is stopped and searched by police on Upper Richmond Road at the junction with Carlton Drive but Khalife is nowhere to be seen.
As he set out details of the route taken by the van before it was stopped by police, Comander Murphy said the force had received more than 50 calls from the public which had provided “some really valuable lines of inquiry”.
In a briefing on Thursday, he told reporters: “This was a really busy area of London and we’ve had no confirmed sightings in any of that information, which is a little unusual and perhaps a testament to Daniel Khalife‘s ingenuity in his escape and some of his movements after his escape.
“It’s important that we remember we have some of the best military in the world here in the UK and he was a trained soldier. So, ultimately, he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public don’t have and I am really keen that we are using everything in our means to find him.”
Asked about whether Daniel Khalife had been helped to escape and if he had access to money, Commander Murphy added: “He’s out in the open now, so who’s to say whether he has money available to him now, but that’s part of our inquiry and what we’re trying to understand.
“He’s a very resourceful individual, clearly, and our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment.”
As a result of his escape, border security at ports and airpots have tightened amid fears he could flee overseas.
Khalife was being held on remand at the Category B prison while awaiting trial over terror and Official Secrets Act charges, including an alleged bomb hoax at an RAF base.
Prior to his arrest in January of this year, he had been a serving soldier since 2018 and had worked as a computer network engineer with the Royal Corps of Signals.
While originally from London, he had been based at the Ministry of Defence’s Stafford military base, also known as Beacon Barracks.
Despite the grave nature of his charges, he was held at HMP Wandsworth, which has the second highest level of security, and was allowed to work in the kitchens.
His escape has been described as a “grave security breach” by the justice secretary, amid reports that the prison was “dogged” by staff shortages and falling standards.