Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife arrested by plain-clothes officer in Chiswick after four days on the run
9 September 2023, 11:43 | Updated: 9 September 2023, 16:32
Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested in Chiswick after four days on the run.
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A plain clothes police officer apprehended Khalife, who was riding a bicycle, just before 11am today in the Chiswick area, and he is currently in police custody.
He was riding the bicycle on a canal towpath around ten miles away from HMP Wandsworth in Greenford, Ealing, this morning.
Police have confirmed they are investigating charging Khalife with similar offence aside from his original terror charges.
It comes after the Met said there had been several confirmed sightings of him in the area overnight.
Officers had been the area all morning - stopping and checking cars, inspecting car boots and asking residents for their IDs.
Armed officers and police dogs walked the streets while a police boat could be seen on the River Thames close to the roads.
The 21-year-old, who is accused of terror offences and spying, fled Wandsworth prison on Wednesday morning. LBC was told the escape could have been an inside job.
Daniel Khalife arrested
The Met offered a £20,000 reward on Friday for anyone with information that led to the arrest of the former soldier, with detectives receiving more than 100 calls.
The force thanked the public for their support throughout the manhunt. Around 100 people called the Met Police tip-line in the four days that Khalife was at large.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman praised the work of police and intelligence workers in tracking down Daniel Khalife.
Writing on social media, she said: "Terrorism suspect Daniel Khalife has been tracked down & brought back into custody thanks to the determined work of our police & intelligence partners.
"I want to thank @metpoliceuk, agencies & Border Force for their work on this massive operation."
Khalife is believed to have used strapping to attach himself to the bottom of a Bid Food vehicle that left Wandsworth prison before vanishing on Wednesday morning.
He had been working in the kitchen of the Category B prison when he made his escape.
Met chief Sir Mark Rowley told LBC that the jailbreak was carefully planned ahead of time and not opportunistic.
Sir Mark told Nick Ferrari that Khalife's escape was "clearly pre-planned".
"The fact he could strap himself onto the bottom of the wagon, there’s obviously some logistics involved.
"Just to work out a prison escape, and how you can do the logistics of it and get the right equipment, and how you’re going to do it, it’s unlikely to be something you do on the spur of the moment."
PM Rishi Sunak said he is "very pleased" Khalife had been arrested, as he praised efforts by the police and the public in finding him.
Speaking at the G20 summit venue in New Delhi, he 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."
Policing minister Chris Philp echoed Mr Sunak's statement, congratulating police for their "rapid and effective" work to apprehend the fugitive.
"Great work by the Met Police. Well done for a rapid and effective piece of work to catch this fugitive," he said.
"An example of policing at its best. Congratulations to all Officers involved in this operation."
It comes after a false alarm for police, who swooped on an innocent 'look-a-like' at an Oxfordshire train station on Thursday.
The man was questioned for 20 minutes before giving his fingerprints to prove that he was not the escapee.
