Police say no 'confirmed sightings' of 'resourceful' escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife
The government has said escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife 'will be caught' - but faces questions as to why he was in a category B prison in the first place
There have been no "confirmed sightings" of a 21-year-old terror suspect on the run after escaping prison, following a second day of search efforts, police have said.
Daniel Abed Khalife was wearing a chef's outfit when he snuck out of HMP Wandsworth prison's kitchen and strapped himself to the underside of a delivery lorry, allowing him to escape.
An urgent appeal has been issued to the public to help trace Khalife - who has been accused of gathering information for Iran and creating a fake bomb - after he fled from the category B prison shortly before 8am on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police force said more than 150 officers and staff have been involved in search efforts, although these have yet to lead to Khalife's capture.
Commander Dominic Murphy, who is leading the investigation, asked for anyone with information about Khalife to get in touch urgently.
'He’s a very resourceful individual, clearly, and our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment,' Commander Dominic Murphy said of escaped terror suspect, Daniel Khalife
Speaking on Thursday evening, he said authorities "remain open-minded" as to whether Khalife received support in aiding his escape.
He added that Khalife's military training makes him a "very resourceful individual", but said he is "confident" the fugitive will be captured.
Investigators have also released a CCTV image of a Bidfood lorry they believe Khalife used to escape.
Authorities in Kent temporarily closed several junctions of the M20 on Thursday to allow enhanced security checks to take place, while pharmacists have been urged to look out for burns victims.
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has announced an independent investigation will now take place, after the escape prompted wide-spread outrage.
Police officers search the lorry that Daniel Khalife is believed to have used to escape from prison (Credit: London Face TV)
Two urgent reviews will also be opened regarding the categorisation and placement of all HMP Wandsworth prisoners and all those in custody charged with terrorism offences, he told MPs on Thursday.
It comes after Wandsworth prison's performance was rated as a "serious concern", with watchdogs issuing a string of warnings about the jail in the past year.
Mr Chalk said he had spoken to prison service leaders immediately after Khalife's escape, adding: "I made clear then and I reiterate now that no stone must be left unturned in getting to the bottom of what happened.
"Who was on duty that morning? In what roles, ranging from the kitchen to the prison gate? What protocols were in place? Were they followed?"
"Daniel Khalife will be found and he will be made to face justice," he added.
The government has come under fire - and Rishi Sunak himself has been told to "get a grip" - over how Khalife could have been allowed to escape.
The former British Army soldier was being held awaiting trial for a terror offence, bomb hoax and an alleged breach of the Official Secrets Act.
He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, red and white chequered trousers and brown steel-toe-cap boots, the Metropolitan Police said, adding he is of slim build and 6ft 2in with short brown hair.
How did Khalife escape?
He is thought to have snuck out of the kitchen and used straps to cling onto the bottom of a delivery lorry to make his escape.
The Times reported there was a delay of around an hour between prison officials noticing he was missing and first contact being made with the police.
Mr Chalk said: "At approximately 7.30 yesterday morning, a vehicle which had made a delivery to the prison's kitchen left HMP Wandsworth.
"Shortly afterwards, local contingency plans for an unaccounted prisoner were activated and in line with standard procedure the police were informed.
"The prison was put into a state of lockdown while staff attempted to determine Daniel Khalife's whereabouts.
"The vehicle was stopped and searched by police after the alert was raised. Strapping was found underneath the vehicle which appeared to indicate that Daniel Khalife may have held onto the underside of it in order to escape."
The ex-serviceman was formerly based at Beacon Barracks when he is alleged to have committed the offences - the Ministry of Defence confirmed he was discharged from the Army in May 2023.
A spokesperson said: "As a result of being held on remand for these charges, Daniel Khalife was discharged from the Army on 22 May 2023."
He appeared at the Old Bailey in late July where he denied the charges he is facing.
It has now emerged that he is accused of trying to gather information for Iran, as well as being charged with terror offences relating to an alleged bomb hoax at the RAF base.
He is accused of eliciting or trying to elicit information that could be useful for a terrorist on August 2, 2021, and breaching the Official Secrets Act by gathering information that could be useful to an enemy between May 1, 2019 and January 6, 2022.
It is claimed he placed "three canisters with wires on a desk in his accommodation" with the intention of inducing in another a belief this was "likely to explode or ignite and thereby cause personal injury or damage to property".
A trial date has been set for November 13 at Woolwich Crown Court.
The public has been advised not to approach Khalife, but if seen they should call 999 immediately.
Delays at ports and airports
The escape has sparked a major police hunt with ports and airports placed on red alert and some passengers facing delays as extra checks were carried out.
Delays have been reported at the Port of Dover and Manchester Airport, where passengers will have to wait an extra 30 minutes at security while passport checks are done.
Port of Dover Travel posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: "Due to a police matter, there are currently enhanced checks on outbound traffic at the Port of Dover and other portals within the UK.
"Please be advised this is currently resulting in some delays at the port.
"However, our standard travel guidance remains unchanged and we will keep passengers updated if they can expect any alteration to their journey."
Gatwick Airport and Heathrow Airport have also confirmed additional security measures are in place, and that waiting times for departing passengers may be longer than usual.
Meanwhile, Kent Police said on Tuesday that junctions eight and nine of the M20 were temporarily closed due to tighter security checks.
Speaking to Sky News, former detective Peter Bleksley said Khalife would likely have been left with a "very unpleasant burn" from touching the exhaust systems that "run the entire length" of the van he used to escape.
What have the government and the opposition said?
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for an independent inquiry to establish "exactly what has gone wrong".
The Prison Officers Association has said Wandsworth Prison is chronically under-staffed: "Wandsworth is one of the largest prisons and is overcrowded and under resourced," it said.
"The chronic staffing shortages highlight the need for an urgent review of how our prisons are run."
Downing Street has rejected blame for the prison escape being apportioned to cuts to the prison service, but admitted there is a need for more staff.
Asked about claims cuts were to blame, Rishi Sunak's official spokesman said: "That would be very much acting without all the facts."
Mr Sunak continues to have confidence in the justice secretary over the handling of the escape, the spokesman also added.
But the local MP for the area, Labour's Rosena Allin-Khan, has compiled some data and said that there was a day in December in which one third of prison shifts at Wandsworth Prison were not filled.
Security at HMP Wandsworth
A former head of security at the prison said the escape was "at best" a "catastrophic system failure".
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Professor Ian Acheson said: "Well, at best, this is a catastrophic system failure that actually starts with the allocation of Khalife to Wandsworth and ends with a terror suspect working in a prison kitchen of an establishment in crisis [and] escaping in a vehicle.
"So it's incredibly embarrassing for the prison service but it’s not entirely surprising given what we know about what’s going on Wandsworth at the moment."
In the Annual Prison Performance Ratings for 2022/23, published in July, it was rated as a "serious concern".
Both the chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor and the prison's Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) raised concerns about the "staffing crisis", the "very poor" living conditions in a "crumbling" Victorian building, and warned the prison did not have enough body-worn cameras for every staff member on duty, in reports published last year.
Prisoner escapes in England are rare - only ten were recorded between 2017/2022.
The Ministry of Justice website describes an escape as: "If they unlawfully gain their liberty [for 15 minutes or more] by breaching the secure perimeter of a closed prison, or if during prison staff escort, overcome the control of escorting staff and leave the escort, the van or the building [hospital etc].
"Those who escape for less than 15 minutes and commit an offence are also recorded as an escape."
Commander Dominic Murphy, the head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command said since Wednesday more than 150 officers and staff have been working to apprehend Khalife.
He added: "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.
"I recognise and am fully aware of the impact these measures are having on the public. We are working to ensure as minimal disruption as possible.
"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."
A Prison Service spokesman said: "We are working with the Metropolitan Police to recapture this prisoner and are urgently investigating how he escaped."
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