Police in the United Kingdom continue in their massive manhunt to find for terrorism suspect Daniel Khalife after the 21-year-old former British soldier escaped from Wandsworth Prison on Wednesday morning.
Khalife, who is suspected of spying for the Iranian regime and accused of plotting a bombing hoax, was working in the kitchens at Wandsworth prison when, on Wednesday, he strapped himself underneath a delivery truck that left the prison, and was able to escape despite security procedures in place meant to prevent smuggling and prison escapes.
The dramatic escape has led some to conclude that Khalife may have had outside help, either from other prisoners or guards, with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley stating that investigators were looking into the possibility that others may have been involved.
“It is a question. Did anyone inside the prison help him? Other prisoners, guard staff? Was he helped by people outside the walls or was it simply all of his own creation?” Rowley said, adding that the escape was “clearly pre-planned.”
Since Khalife’s escape, police have largely been focused on searching Richmond Park, which lies just under three miles from Wandsworth prison. They have deployed at least 150 counterterrorism officers as well as helicopters equipped with infrared cameras to detect heat signatures that could lead to the capture of Khalife.
The park, the largest in London, was also highlighted as it sits between the prison and Kingston upon Thames, to which Khalife may have some links, although he is also said to have ties to the Northwest of England.
On Thursday, Commander Dominic Murphy of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command said that it was entirely possible that Khalife had already left the United Kingdom, but noted security had been ramped up at ports and airports, including the Eurotunnel, where delays are expected due to the more vigorous security measures.
Peter Bleksley, a former detective at the Metropolitan Police, slammed the fact that, as of Friday, investigators have yet to catch Khalife, telling broadcaster GB News,
I think this is now becoming a massive embarrassment for our nation. First of all it started off as a hugely embarrassing situation for Wandsworth Prison. But now of course all the resources of the police have so far been unable to find him, and yesterday the Justice Secretary Alex Chalk stood up in Parliament and said very forcefully on two occasions he will be found. Well, as of yet he hasn’t been.
So as I say, what started off as a massive embarrassment is now a huge and acute embarrassment and the longer it goes on the worse it’s going to get.
Bleksley also supports the notion that the escape was pre-planned saying,
We know it was clearly planned within the prison. I’d like to know how did he get these straps? What’s their original purpose? Was it something that had actually been adapted or repurposed and turned into these straps? So if there’s planning on the inside of the prison, worryingly for the police, I would strongly suggest there’s been planning on the outside of the prison.
According to the Met Police, Khalife was dressed in chef’s clothing—a white t-shirt and checkered red trousers—rather than prison garb at the time of his escape. Late Friday afternoon, Commander Dominic Murphy, chief of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command announced there’d been a possible sighting of a man fitting Khalife’s description and clothing on Wednesday morning:
This remains a fast-paced and dynamic investigation, but I want the public to know that a large number of officers are working extremely hard to locate Khalife.
We have now received more than 100 calls from the public, and we thank everyone who has contacted us with information.
The sighting near Wandsworth Roundabout [just outside the Wandsworth prison] could be very significant, and this is one of many useful lines of enquiry that officers are perusing.
We continue to urge the public to contact us straight away if they think they have seen Khalife or have information on his whereabouts.
We will continue to work closely with all our colleagues in police services across the country and other partners to trace Khalife and bring him back into custody.
Khalife’s escape comes months before he was expected to appear in court in November after his initial arrest in January. The terror suspect joined the British army in 2019 and was stationed at MoD Stafford where he allegedly planted fake explosives as part of a hoax bomb plot.
