By Sean Seddon and Daniel Sandford
BBC News
A manhunt has been launched for a former soldier suspected of terror offences who escaped from prison on Wednesday morning.
Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, was awaiting trial at HMP Wandsworth after being accused of leaving fake bombs at a military base.
It is believed he escaped via a prison kitchen by strapping himself to the bottom of a food delivery van.
There are delays at UK airports as extra security checks are carried out.
BBC News understands Mr Khalife was working in the kitchen when he made his escape from HMP Wandsworth, a category B prison in south-west London, at around 07:50 BST.
He is 6ft 2ins tall and was last seen wearing a prison-issue chef’s uniform of a white T-shirt, red and white chequered trousers and brown steel toe cap boots, police said.
Police believe Mr Khalife poses a “low risk” to the public but people are being urged not to approach him and to call 999 instead.
Mr Khalife has links to the Kingston area of London and to the North West, but the search has been expanded across the country.
Cdr Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, confirmed all police forces and UK border points have been put on notice.
Airports and ports have been asked to carry out additional security measures, resulting in delays being reported across the UK, including at Heathrow airport, Manchester airport, and the Port of Dover.
Cdr Murphy said counter-terror officers were being deployed across London, where the search is being focussed.
But he said Mr Khalife “could be anywhere in the country at the moment and we are mindful of the risk of him potentially leaving the country”.
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk held an “urgent call” with the prison governor and other senior prison service officials to “seek reassurances about security at the prison”.
Mr Khalife was on remand awaiting trial in relation to terrorism and Official Secrets Act offences.
In February, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard he allegedly left fake devices at MOD Stafford “with the intention of inducing in another the belief the item was likely to explode or ignite”.
A previous court appearance heard he “elicited” personal information about soldiers from the Ministry of Defence Joint Personnel Administration System which was “likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism” in 2021.
Mr Khalife had been based at MOD Stafford – also known as Beacon Barracks – when he is alleged to have committed the offences.
He disappeared from the base on 2 January after the alleged bomb hoax, a court previously heard, before he was arrested weeks later on 26 January.
A prosecutor told Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 28 January there had been “active efforts to look for him” and he was “arrested in or near his car”.
After that court appearance, he was held at HMP Belmarsh. He was not released on bail and it is currently unclear when he was transferred to HMP Wandsworth.
Mr Khalife appeared in court on 28 January, 17 February and 21 July, according to the PA News agency archive. By July he was at Wandsworth prison, appearing for his court date that month by video link.
He was being held on remand pending a trial due to begin on 13 November at Woolwich Crown Court.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “As a result of being held on remand for these charges, Daniel Khalife was been discharged from the Army on 22 May, 2023.”
Rare escapes
Prison escapes have been rare in recent years, with just five since 2017, and fewer than 20 since 2010.
The last infamous escape involving terrorism inmates was the escape from Whitemoor prison in 1994 by IRA prisoners.
A January 2022 report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons said a “serious security breach had led to an escape” from HMP Wandsworth in 2019.
The report said the inspectorate had been given “some assurance that action to prevent further escapes had been taken” but said “current local security data evidenced some concerns in the physical aspects of security”.
The prison was placed on lockdown in the hours following Mr Khalife’s escape but restrictions have now been lifted.
Additional reporting by George Bowden
