After days of searches, runaway prisoner and ex-soldier Daniel Khalife has finally been found and arrested.
The nationwide coverage of the 21-year-old's escape sparked a huge hunt for the terror suspect, as authorities feared he would make his way out of the capital. But just before 11am today, he was apprehended on a canal towpath in west London and is now in police custody.
Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism boss Commander Dominic Murphy said: "In terms of the investigation, it really gathered momentum yesterday afternoon, with a number of calls from the public, but really took a different course last night, when we did an intelligence-led search in the Richmond area in the early hours of this morning.
"Whilst we didn't find him at that search, while we were at that search, we had a number of calls from the public over the next hour or two, giving us various sightings of him." Addressing the arrest, Mr Murphy said that after he was pulled off the push bike, Khalife was "fully cooperative and handcuffed and arrested".
Below, the Mirror has compiled a a timeline of events, from his original arrest, to his getaway and subsequent recapture.
Manchester airport: 'National incident' causing passengers to face major delays
Police dog unit vehicles are seen in Chiswick House & Gardens in west London on the hunt for terror suspect Daniel Khalife (Peter Macdiarmid/LNP)January 2022:
Khalife is arrested and released on bail.
January 2023:
The ex-serviceman, formerly of Beacon Barracks, Beaconside, Stafford, is charged with a terror offence on January 27 and perpetrating a bomb hoax after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command. He is accused of eliciting or attempting to elicit information "about an individual who was or had been a member of His Majesty's forces which was of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism" on August 2 2021, contrary to section 58A of the Terrorism Act 2000.
He is also accused of placing "three canisters with wires at RAF Stafford with the intention of inducing in another a belief that the said article was likely to explode or ignite and thereby cause personal injury or damage to property" on or before January 2 this year, contrary to section 51 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.
On January 28, Khalife appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court and is remanded in custody.
February 2023:
Khalife makes no indication of pleas when he appears in court again and his case is sent to the Old Bailey. On February 17, he appears at the Old Bailey for a brief preliminary hearing.
May 2023:
The former soldier is discharged from the Army.
Hunt for terror suspect who escaped prison under food van continues
Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth in London (PA)July 2023:
Khalife appears at the Old Bailey for a plea hearing. A third charge under the Official Secrets Act is added before he is asked to enter pleas. That charge alleges he committed "an act prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state".
It states that between May 1 2019 and January 6 2022 he "obtained, collected, recorded, published or communicated to any other person articles, notes, documents or information which were calculated to be or might be or were intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy". He denies all three charges. A six-week trial is set for November 13 at Woolwich Crown Court.
September 6:
Khalife goes missing in his cook's uniform from HMP Wandsworth and is believed to have used strapping to cling to the underside of a delivery vehicle. The lorry leaves the prison through a gate leading on to Heathfield Road at 7.32am and Khalife is declared missing at 7.50am, the Met said.
Police in Chiswick House & Gardens area in west London hunting for Daniel Khalife (Peter Macdiarmid/LNP)Police are then notified at 8.15am and the vehicle is stopped in Upper Richmond Road near the junction with Carlton Drive in Putney, south-west London, at 8.37am. Video footage, taken by a worker at Rosy Lea Cafe, shows police officers searching the Bidfood lorry with a sniffer dog. Khalife's escape prompts extra security checks at major transport hubs.
September 7:
The manhunt enters its second day. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk confirms an independent investigation will take place after Khalife's escape, as well as two urgent reviews regarding the categorisation and placement of all HMP Wandsworth prisoners and all those in custody charged with terrorism offences.
Armed police in the Chiswick area in west London as the hunt for terror suspect Daniel Khalife enters its fourth day (PA)Junctions eight and nine of the M20 are temporarily shut due in part to enhanced security checks relating to the search, Kent Police confirm. A man is stopped by police at Banbury train station in Oxfordshire but it is not Khalife.
September 8:
The hunt for Khalife stretches into a third day. Police search Richmond Park in west London, just over four miles from HMP Wandsworth. Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley says the force is considering whether the escape was an inside job.
Fugitive terror suspect Daniel Khalife was captured by undercover police near Greenford Canal (SplashNews.com)The Met investigates a possible sighting after a man resembling Khalife was seen walking towards Wandsworth town centre shortly after the prison break. The force also offers a £20,000 reward for information on Khalife's whereabouts.
September 9:
Police find and arrest Khalife. At 9am, the Met announces officers were searching the Chiswick area in west London after confirmed sightings in the district overnight. The force also issues an appeal for members of the public to "remain vigilant". Just under two hours later, officers apprehend the terror suspect and take him into police custody.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
