Terror suspect Daniel Khalife 'escaped from Wandsworth prison strapped under truck with bed sheets,' court hears
11 September 2023, 10:28 | Updated: 11 September 2023, 12:01
Terror suspect Daniel Khalife may have used bedsheets to break out of Wandsworth prison, it was revealed in court today as he appeared for the first time after his arrest.
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The 21-year-old was remanded into custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday charged with escaping custody at HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday.
He 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.
Prior to his alleged escape, Khalife had been on remand at Wandsworth Prison after being charged with terror offences in January. He will next appear at the Old Bailey on September 29.
He was arrested on a towpath near Rowdell Road, Northolt on Saturday, after being on the run for four days - after a member of the public recognised him and rang 999.
Undercover police pulled the ex-soldier off a bicycle and wrestled him to the floor just before 11am.
A plain-clothes officer shouted “Don’t move or we’ll shoot” after catching the 21-year-old, who responded by laughing and winking at passers-by, according to the Sun.
He had been riding the bicycle on a canal towpath around ten miles away from HMP Wandsworth in Greenford.
Dressed in a t-shirt, shorts and trainers, Khalife also had with him a sleeping bag, change of clothes, bottle of water and a cool bag appearing to contain food.
Cops are now believed to be hunting down any potential accomplices that may have helped the former soldier escape.
Two guards at Wandsworth have been suspended following the incident, according to the Mail.
They are understood to have both been involved in overseeing the exit of the Bid Food catering vehicle - which Khalife is believed to have climbed under to break out - from the prison grounds.
Khalife is believed to have used strapping to attach himself to the bottom of the van 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 previously said 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."
