02 February 2024 , 13:27
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A woman has been arrested following an investigation into Daniel Khalife who allegedly escaped from a prison in South London.
It comes as Met Police continue to investigate the escape from HMP Wandsworth last year. Detectives previously said the suspect used survival and counter-surveillance skills to avoid detection. He managed to sneak out of jail by strapping himself to the underside of a delivery van. He was caught around 75 hours after he went missing after a massive police search took place last year September.
The force announced they have arrested a 25-year-old woman in connection to assisting Khalife in his escape. Police had previously arrested a 24-year-old man who has also been linked to the incident. Neither of the suspects are members of staff at the prison, police confirmed.
Detective Chief Superintendent Gareth Rees, Head of Operations for the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, which is leading the investigation, said: "We continue to carry out a thorough investigation into the full circumstances of the alleged escape of Khalife, and we have now arrested two other people as part of this.
Daniel Khalife is said to have escaped from a London prison last year (PA)“I know there continues to be a great deal of interest in this case, but I must remind the public that Khalife is awaiting trial. It is therefore extremely important that people do not report, comment upon or share information which could in any way prejudice the future court proceedings." Staff at HMP Wandsworth realised he had vanished at 7.50am but did not tell police until 8.15am after a search. When officers stopped the delivery van at 8.37am on Upper Richmond Road in Putney, there was no sign of Khalife.
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A senior defence source previously said Khalife would have received training in the Army that would have worked to his advantage whilst he was on the run. The source told The Telegraph: “We teach them initiative, command tasks, problem solving skills. We train people well, to be individuals, to adapt, overcome and improvise. He’s not in the infantry so doesn’t have the same resilience level as an infantry soldier, but even our basic soldiers are trained to be resilient to adapt, overcome and survive in harsh and unpredictable environments.”
It comes after counter terror cops in January swooped on a young man accused of assisting 22-year-old Khalife in his alleged escape. A 24-year-old was arrested on Wednesday morning on suspicion of assisting an offender. He was taken into custody at a London police station and bailed until a date in late April, the Metropolitan Police said.
The ex-soldier hit the headlines last year after allegedly breaking out of HMP Wandsworth and going on the run. This led to a national hunt that eventually ended in his capture. At the time, police alleged he had escaped by strapping himself to the bottom of a food delivery van before he was said to have vanished into London for over 75 hours.Khalife pleaded not guilty to charges alleging he escaped from HMP Wandsworth, and his trial is due to commence at the Old Bailey in October 2024.