Cops swoop on van as terror suspect's escape route revealed - updates

RECAP of the second day in the hunt for Khalife

Daniel Khalife is still on the large as the second day of the manhunt for him comes to an end.

The 21-year-old former soldier has been missing for approaching 40 hours now. Earlier today, in a press breifing, Met Police Counter Terrorism Command Dominic Murphy revealed a number of details about the escape.

This included the timeline of the escape and the exact route the van took.

Scroll down to catch up on the day's developments and check in tomorrow morning for more.

Some of the questions left unanswered regarding Khalife's escape?

Why was Khalife in Wandsworth and not a higher security prison?

Some reports claimed Khalife was initially in Belmarsh, a maximum security prison, and later moved to HMP Wandsworth.

Butcher breast surgeon could have hundreds more victims after old database found

John Podmore, a former governor at HMP Brixton and HMP Belmarsh, told the BBC Radio 4’s World At One: “My view is that he should have been at Belmarsh. It’s much more suited to the levels of security that someone like this – charged with, not convicted – needs. I can’t understand why he wasn’t at Belmarsh.”

Why was he allowed to work in the kitchen?

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor told the PA news agency a prisoner has to earn a “certain level of trust” in order to be allowed to work in a kitchen.

He said: “If you’re a prisoner who’s working in the kitchen, you would have earned a certain level of trust anyway, because you would have been seen as someone who could be safe around things like knives, so you would only be allowed to do that and you earn some trust as a prisoner, so you would have kept your nose clean.”

Was this a pre-planned escape, an inside job, and did he get any other help?

In a press briefing held this afternoon, Counter Terrorism Commander Dominic Murphy wouldn't divulge whether officers thought Khalife had had help, but said they were keeping an "open mind".

Daniel Abed Khalife

Are staffing shortages a factor in how the escape was able to take place?

Mr Taylor said inspectors are “particularly concerned” about staffing at the prison, adding: “That ultimately is the source of many of the problems in the jail.”

Wandsworth has one of the highest rates of sickness absence among staff, official Government figures show. Unions and watchdogs say they have raised repeated concerns about staffing levels there.

Company behind food delivery van Khalife escaped on issues statement

The company who owned the food delivery van that Daniel Khalife escaped on have issued a statement, after his getaway from HMP Wandsworth yesterday.

A Bidfood spokesman said: “Yesterday morning we were made aware of a security incident involving one of our vehicles, whilst out on delivery.

“We can confirm that our driver fully co-operated with the police on this matter before returning back to the depot. We will continue to assist the authorities in their ongoing investigation.”

During a press briefing this afternoon, the Met Police stressed the company had co-operated fully with police throughout.

A picture of the food delivery van which Daniel Khalife used to make his escape

Map shows exact route Khalife took as he clung to van

The food van left HMP Wandsworth at 7:32am, and Khalife was declared missing 18 minutes later at 7:50am. Police were notified at 8:15am before the van Khalife had escaped under was stopped at 8:37am. After turning out of Wandsworth, the food van turned onto Heathfield Road, then turned left onto Magdalen Road, and left again onto Trinity Road. A214.

From here it continued up to Wandsworth Road Roundabout and took the first exit onto Swandon Way, A217. Then it took a left onto Old York Road, passing Wandsworth Town train station, before heading onto Fairfield Street. It then turned right onto Wandsworth High Street, and straight onto West Hill before police eventually stopped it at the junction of Carlton Drive and Upper Richmond Road.

Read more here.

The map showing Khalife's escape route

Moment police swarm van Khalife used to escape prison - but he was already gone

After he was reported missing at 7.50am police finally swooped on the van at 8.37am. Once there, police found the straps that Khalife had used to escape, but no sign of the former soldier. Dozens of passers-by were unaware of what was unfolding as they walked by during the busy rush hour in the capital.

Meanwhile a number of officers gathered around the van, where it had been pulled over, and investigated its underside. Officers used sniffer dogs as well to investigate the vehicle and look underneath it.

Read the full story here.

Police swarmed the van at 8.37am (Mirror video grab)

Moment cops swoop in on lookalike

Officers swooped on a man at Banbury station in Oxfordshire on Thursday in the hunt for Khalife. But it's understood the man, who looked similar to the suspect, was arrested then de-arrested when officers established he was not the terror suspect.

Read the full story here.

(SWNS)

Close down Wandsworth jail, says chief inspector of prisons

Police continue plea to public for help tracking down Khalife

Counter terrorism police have redoubled their call to the public for help tracking down Daniel Abed Khalife.

The escaped prisoner was being held in category B prison HMP Wandsworth after allegedly planting fake bombs at an RAF base and eliciting information that could be used by a terrorist. He was due to stand trial in November.

After escaping on the bottom of a food delivery van, the police asked for public help tracking him down and have received over 50 calls from members of the public.

Commander Dominic Murphy said: “It is crucial for the public to help us with this search and to call us immediately if they have any information on the whereabouts of Khalife.”

Dominic Murphy, Commander of SO15 (Mirror)

How was Khalife able to work in the kitchen before he escaped?

Police keeping 'open mind' if Khalife received help to escape prison

Over 150 officers on the hunt for Khalife

Over 150 officers and staff are taking part in the investigation to track down Daniel Abed Khalife.

The ex-soldier turned suspected terrorist escaped from HMP Wandsworth yesterday morning, by strapping himself to the bottom of a food delivery truck. Alongside partnering agencies, over 150 officers and staff are working to bring Khalife back into custody.

Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the investigation, asked for anyone with information about Khalife that may help us to get in touch urgently.

He said: “Since yesterday, over 150 officers and staff have been working around the clock on apprehending Khalife. We have issued a nationwide alert that has resulted in increased security at our ports and borders, however currently there have not been any confirmed sightings.

The Junction between Upper Richmond Road and Carlton Drive where the van was eventually stopped by police

Picture of van Khalife escaped on released

Police have released an image of the van that Daniel Abed Khalife escaped on.

The 21-year-old ex-soldier strapped himself to the underside of the Bidfood van to get out of Wandsworth prison yesterday morning.

A picture of the food delivery van which Daniel Khalife used to make his escape

No confirmed sightings of Khalife may be down to military training, police admit

There have been no confirmed sightings of Daniel Abed Khalife, police said this afternoon.

Speaking in a press briefing, Counter Terrorism Commander Dominic Murphy said it was "unusual" this was the case as he had likely escaped into a very busy part of London, after strapping himself to the bottom of a food delivery van.

Daniel Abed Khalife

In a press briefing on Thursday, Mr Murphy said: “This was a really busy area of London and we’ve had no confirmed sightings in any of that information, which is a little unusual, and perhaps testament to Daniel Khalife’s ingenuity in his escape and some of his movements after his escape.

“It’s important that we remember that we have some of the best military in the world here in the UK and he was trained. He was a trained soldier – so ultimately he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public don’t have.”

Route the van Khalife strapped himself too revealed

This is the route the food delivery van took that Khalife strapped himself to, to escape HMP Wandsworth, including going right past a train station.

• It turned out the prison and onto Heathfield Road, then turned left onto Magdalen Road, and left again onto Trinity Road, A214.
• From there it continued up onto Wandsworth Road Roundabout, and took the first exit onto Swandon Way, A217.
• Then it turned left, onto Old York Road, passing Wandsworth Town train station, before heading onto Fairfield Street.
• It turned right onto Wandsworth High Street, and straight onto West Hill before it was stopped at the junction of Carlton Drive and Upper Richmond Road.

Police confirmed that at some point the driver had been alerted by the food company and was heading back towards the prison.

Met Police update on hunt for suspected terrorist

This afternoon, in a press conference, the Met Police's counter terror chief, Dominic Murphy, issued an update on the ongong manhunt for ex-soldier Daniel Khalife.

They revealed that there has still been no confirmed sightings of the suspected terorrist, as they admitted fears he may have already fled the country - even as the search remains focused on London.

Over 150 officers are working on the investigation, alongside a number of partner agencies helping out. So far there have been over 50 calls from the public, but the police chief renewed the calls for help from the public.

HMP Wandsworth, where Khalife escaped from (Press Association Images)

Alongside that, they stressed that Khalife was clearly a "very resourceful individual" and said his known connections remains in Kingston, London, and Staffordshire, where he had been stationed.

They also revealed an "innocent member of the public" was mistakenly arrested earlier today after reports that Khalife had been found in Banbury, in the Thames Valley area.

Counter terrorism commander admits 'absolutely possible' Khalife has left the country - but focus remains on London

The Met's counter terrorism commander has said it is "absolutely possible" that Daniel Khalife has already left the country - but the focus of the search for the runaway ex-soldier remains on London.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Dominic Murphy said: "It is of course, absolutely possible that he's here or has already left the country ... there has been a huge effort across borders all around the country."

Dominic Murphy, Commander of SO15 (Mirror)

Timeline of Khalife's escape:

Met Police counter terrorism commanderDominic Murphy, in an update this afternoon, revealed the timeline of Daniel Abed Khalife's escape from HMP Wandsworth

• The van he was strapped to left HMP Wandsworth around 7:32am
• Khalife declared missing at 7:50am
• Police were notified around 8:15am
• Around 8.37am the van was stopped on the junction with Upper Richmond Road and Carlton Drive, when it had been on its way back.

It took an hour and five minutes before police got to the van after he left the site.

Man stopped in Banbury was not Khalife, says Met

A video circulating online shows a man with a similar appearance to Khalife being spoken to by police officers at Banbury station. The Met has since confirmed this is not him.

In a statement, the Met Police said: "We are aware of a man being stopped by police in the Banbury area earlier today.

"We have liaised with colleagues in Thames Valley and confirmed the man in question is not Daniel Khalife."

New images emerge of suspected terrorist

Two new images have emerged of Daniel Abed Khalife, the ex-soldier who was being held in prison.

The 21-year-old escaped from HMP Wandsworth yesterday, sparking a national manhunt which is still ongoing.

Daniel Abed Khalife - escaped terror suspect

Khalife 'almost certainly' had help to escape prison - report claims

New reports have claimed that it is "almost certain" that Daniel Abed Khalife, the former soldier turned suspected terrorist, had help escaping HMP Wandsworth.

The Independent reported an unnamed security official claimed the terror suspect likely didn't act alone when he strapped himself to the bottom of a food delivery truck to escape. The official added that all prison staff were being interviewed after the massive security breach.

(Sky News)

“All the indications are that this was an orchestrated job and not an opportunistic escape. It is almost certain that he had some inside help from the prison," he said.

Ex Met detective warns pharmacists to 'keep eyes out' for those seeking burn treatment advice

A former Met detective has warned pharmacists to "keep your eyes out today if somebody comes in asking for advice on how to treat burns".

Peter Bleksley told Sky News Khalife's escape by clinging to the underside of a delivery van should "most certainly have been stopped".

He said such vehicles should always been "searched thoroughly".

"But clinging to the bottom of a vehicle if it's got petrol or diesel combustion engine it's a pretty risky thing to do. Not only because you can lose your grip and fall onto the roadway, but exhaust systems, which generally speaking run the entire length of a vehicle like that, get incredibly hot.

"And the slightest touch of that exhaust system will leave you with a very unpleasant burn. So I would suggest to anybody who works in a chemist or pharmacy or shops where medical supplies are sold, just keep your eyes out today if somebody comes in asking for advice on how to treat burns and sourcing bandages or ointments and the like. Just in case that is a scenario that may have happened."

M20 is closed due to 'enhanced port security checks', police said

The M20 coastbound road between Junctions 8 and 9 is being closed due to "enhanced port security checks", Kent Police have announced.

While the force did not directly link the measures to the hunt for Daniel Khalife, the update comes after an earlier statement from the Met Police's counter-terror department which said it had issued an alert about the escape to "enforcement agencies, including those at UK ports and borders".

This closure will let all the cargo headed for the continent line up on the empty stretch of the motorway, helping to avoid major traffic disruption across Kent. Everyone else should follow detour signs.

Temporary Chief Superintendent Simon Alland of Kent Police said: "The closure of the M20 is an emergency measure that is only used following consultation with our partners in the Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) and after a thorough assessment of issues including public safety and traffic volumes.

"The KRF will continue to monitor the situation closely in order to restore the motorway to its full capacity as soon as possible."

Cops have 48-hour window to find fugitive Daniel Khalife, ex-army expert warns

Police hunting escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife have a 48-hour window to find him before it potentially becomes a "long, slow slog", an intelligence expert has told the Mirror.

Colonel Philip Ingram, an ex-British Army intelligence officer, said the 21-year-old former soldier will have gone to ground, but will not have had specialised training in escape and evade - rather just a basic annual refresher video.

He also adds that he must have had help from the outside. He does not believe the fugitive will have been able to flee the country due to all transport hubs being on high alert - and the difficulties of obtaining the correct forged documents.

Instead, he thinks the plan would be to lie low for up to a couple of months when search resources have dwindled, then make his next move.

Click here to read the full story

Colonel Philip Ingram (Sunday Mirror)

Fugitive Daniel Khalife's life in army after childhood with mum and sister in leafy suburb

Khaflie was born in London and is of Middle Eastern heritage. He has a mum and twin sister who lived in Richmond, southwest London, up until a few years ago, it has been reported.

He had formerly been a serving soldier in the British Army since 2018 and had worked as a computer network engineer with the Royal Corps of Signals before his arrest in January.

He was based at the Ministry of Defence’s Stafford military base while serving. This base in the Midlands is known as Beacon Barracks.

Click here to read the full story

Daniel Khalife

Inspectors described 'very poor' living conditions at Wandsworth and 'piles of litter'

In the Annual Prison Performance Ratings for 2022/23, published in July, Wandsworth was among nine rated as a "serious concern".

Its overall performance score, based on a range of measures including security, rehabilitation and training and expressed as a proportion of 100%, was 46.4% - one of the lowest out of all 119 prisons.

Wandsworth was handed the same "serious concern" rating in 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19.

Inspectors described "very poor" living conditions with "piles of litter" and said levels of violence had risen since previous inspections.

The IMB said a "staffing crisis" and "crumbling" Victorian buildings were "at the heart" of the prison's problems.

In findings published in September 2022 the body, made up of volunteers tasked by ministers to scrutinise conditions in custody, highlighted the "negative impact" of staff shortages and "wholly inadequate physical conditions".

The IMB said: "Significant staffing problems are adversely affecting the delivery of a consistent regime."

Although "technically fully staffed", more than 30% of staff are "non-operational on a regular basis, for a number of reasons", sometimes rising to more than 40%, according to the findings.

The "recruitment, training and retention" of skilled and well-motivated staff is "essential" amid a rise in "volatile young prisoners" and "alarming" levels of violence but the board said it was "very concerned that this is not happening".

Tim Aikens, chairman of the prison's IMB, said at the time: "The board is once again expressing its concern about conditions in HMP Wandsworth, whose Victorian buildings are long overdue significant investment.

"With depleted staff numbers, degrading living conditions and high levels of mental health need, the increasing level of violence is both unsurprising and deeply worrying."

Prisons chief says staff shortages 'source of many problems at Wandsworth

The chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor warned staff shortages are "the source of many problems" at HMP Wandsworth.

While it is "concerning when anybody escapes from prison" and they are "now very rare", the nature of the allegations levelled at Daniel Abed Khalife made this case "extremely concerning", he added.

Mr Taylor said it "should be standard practice" for vehicles entering and leaving the prison to be checked and a prisoner has to earn a "certain level of trust" in order to be allowed to work in a kitchen.

Prisons have two sets of gates to go through to access what is known as the "sterile" area for vehicles entering or leaving.

Inmates are not allowed in those areas and there are "strict rules" on which gates can be opened and both sets of gates cannot be opened at the same time.

Standard security measures would include CCTV surveillance footage being fed back to a control room, but also mirrors on a roller to run underneath and on top of vehicles.

Mr Taylor said: "Something obviously went wrong in terms of security, and that will come out over time.

"But the issue that we are particularly concerned about is there are too many prisoners in Wandsworth for the amount of staff who are there. And that ultimately is the source of many of the problems in the jail."

Both Mr Taylor and the prison's Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) raised concerns about staffing levels, among other issues, in reports published last year.

In July 2022, Mr Taylor warned how the prison did not have enough body-worn cameras for every staff member on duty and highlighted how there had recently been several changes in leadership.

The main entrance to HMP Wandsworth (Corbis via Getty Images)

Wandsworth prison's performance rated as 'serious concern' before escape

Wandsworth prison's performance was rated as a "serious concern" and watchdogs had issued a string of warnings about the jail in the past year prior to Khalife's escape.

The category B reception and resettlement men's prison, which opened in 1851, is one of only nine jails out of 119 in England and Wales whose performance has been called into question recently.

Governor Katie Price presides over the Victorian jail, which holds around 1,600 defendants appearing at London courts and offenders due to be released in five wings.

In the Annual Prison Performance Ratings for 2022/23, published in July, Wandsworth was among nine rated as a "serious concern".

Its overall performance score, based on a range of measures including security, rehabilitation and training and expressed as a proportion of 100%, was 46.4% - one of the lowest out of all 119 prisons.

Wandsworth was handed the same "serious concern" rating in 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19.

The chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor warned staff shortages are "the source of many problems" at HMP Wandsworth.

While it is "concerning when anybody escapes from prison" and they are "now very rare", the nature of the allegations levelled at Khalife made this case "extremely concerning", he added.

HMP Wandsworth in London (PA)

Alex Chalk's full statement

Justice Secretary tells MPs an independent investigation will take place after Khalife escape

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has told MPs that an independent investigation will take place following former soldier Daniel Abed Khalife’s escape from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday.

Alex Chalk addresses the Commons (Sky News)

Sunak says prison escapes are 'extremely rare' as manhunt continues

Rishi Sunak insisted prison escapes are "extremely rare" as a manhunt continues for terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife as he rejected calls for an internal inquiry.

Asked by broadcasters on a visit to the University of Warwick why such a suspect was not being held in a Category A prison, the Prime Minister told broadcasters: "First thing I want to say is thankfully these incidences are extremely rare.

"I can't give too many details because there's an ongoing police operation, I hope people will understand that, but I want to reassure people that public safety is of course, our paramount responsibility.

"The Justice Secretary has initiated already an internal inquiry into the specific circumstances around this particular individual and this case but the most important thing now is for anyone if they have any information at all that they think is relevant to please contact the police."

Asked whether there will be an independent inquiry launched as demanded by Labour, Mr Sunak said the "Justice Secretary has already initiated an internal inquiry into what the circumstances are surrounding this particular incident".