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Cops confirm first sighting of escaped prisoner as Police offer £20k reward

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Cops confirm first sighting of escaped prisoner as Police offer £20k reward
Cops confirm first sighting of escaped prisoner as Police offer £20k reward

POLICE hunting escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife have confirmed the first sighting of the terror suspect as they offered a £20,000 reward.

The 21-year-old has now been on the run for two days after he fled HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday under a food truck.

Khalife has now been missing for two days eiqrriqxikqprw
Khalife has now been missing for two daysCredit: PA
Khalife's reported escape route
Khalife's reported escape route
The Met have released further details of the van's journey
The Met have released further details of the van's journey

A huge manhunt has now been launched, with the Met Police offering a £20,000 reward for information.

The force also revealed they are investigating a sighting of Khalife shortly after he escaped the prison.

A member of the public saw a man resembling the terror suspect climbing out from underneath the BidFood delivery van as it stopped near the Wandsworth roundabout, at the top of Trinity Road.

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This man was then seen walking towards Wandsworth town centre.

Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Met's counter terrorism command, said the "confirmed" sighting could be "very significant".

He also urged Khalife to hand himself in as he said the possible glimpse of the terror suspect is "one of several key lines of enquiry that officers are pursuing".

The commander said: "My message to him is to hand yourself in, either call us or go to a local police station and hand yourself in.

"With the reward we are offering today and the amazing support we have had from the public and the media, we will be closing in on you, Daniel, you really need to come in and give yourself up."

Khalife hid under the food delivery truck to make his escape while working in the prison kitchen on Wednesday morning.

He fled in a chef's uniform of a white T-shirt, red and white chequered trousers and brown steel toecap boots.

The terror suspect thought to have used makeshift straps to attach himself to the truck as it was waved out of the notorious lock-up.

A huge manhunt has been launched for Khalife with security checks taking place at UK airports and ports.

The Met confirmed it had received more than 100 calls from the public, with security at UK borders ramping up as the search continues.

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Mr Murphy said: "We continue to urge the public to contact us straight away if they think they have seen Khalife or have information on his whereabouts."

The force have also clarified the route taken by the delivery van Khalife used to escape.

Murphy said the truck exited Wandsworth Roundabout onto Swandon Road where it then turned left onto Fairfield Street.

It comes after the Met confirmed they are looking for a shop assistant who claimed he saw Khalife on Wednesday.

The witness said he saw a a "tall, lanky dude" running under a bridge and into a black vehicle outside Wandsworth County Court.

A police spokesperson said: "We are aware of news reports about a shop assistant who believes they saw Daniel Khalife.

"We are trying to identify this man so we can speak with him. We urge him to contact us by calling 999."

Meanwhile, a witness told The Sun Online police visited a Sainsbury's on Old York Road near Wandsworth Town station today as officers attempt to track down CCTV of Khalife's movements.

They added: "Police have apparently been in the Sainsbury's looking at their footage.

"We have had a lot of people in our shop but have not got a CCTV camera facing the street."

Khalife, who was attached to the Royal Signal Corps before being discharged, is accused of leaving fake bombs at an RAF base in January.

He vanished for more than three weeks after the bomb hoax before being arrested on January 26.

Another charge, under the Official Secrets Act, alleges Khalife collected personal information about soldiers from an MoD computer system that could be useful to an enemy.

He was being held on remand at Wandsworth prison and was due to stand trial on November 20.

Anyone who sees Khalife has been urged to call 999 immediately.

Police have released images of a kitchen uniform like the one Khalife wore during his escape
Police have released images of a kitchen uniform like the one Khalife wore during his escapeCredit: Metropolitan Police
The outfit includes brown steel toe cap boots
The outfit includes brown steel toe cap bootsCredit: Metropolitan Police
Khalife fled Wandsworth under a food delivery truck
Khalife fled Wandsworth under a food delivery truckCredit: Sky News

Holly Christodoulou

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