Daniel Abed Khalife prison escape: Fugitive may have jumped into car two miles from jail, shop assistant says
Police say they are keen to speak to the potential eyewitness, while the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, says officers are "working night and day to recapture the individual".
Friday 8 September 2023 16:57, UK
Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife may have jumped in a car two miles from Wandsworth Prison, an eyewitness has said.
The man, who did not want to be identified, said he saw a "tall, lanky dude with dark hair" sprinting from a Bidfood lorry to a black vehicle heading east outside Wandsworth County Court.
People were shouting and cars beeping outside a newsagent, the man said.
The Met Police said it was "aware" of the potential sighting.
"We are trying to identify this man so we can speak with him," Scotland Yard said.
"We urge him to contact us by calling 999."
Suspected sighting of fugitive - manhunt latest
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, speaking on a trip to India, said police are "working night and day to recapture the individual".
Khakife's escape was either a "giant" blunder or involved "some sort of collusion", a former governor and inspector has said.
The PM told reporters the justice secretary has ordered an internal inquiry to examine the "specific circumstances" around the escape.
Asked to elaborate further, Mr Sunak said it was important to "establish the facts first".
Quizzed on potential "state involvement", perhaps from Iran, the PM said it would not be appropriate to comment on an "ongoing police investigation".
Do you have any information about Daniel Khalife? Speak to Sky News via or email
Khalife, a 21-year-old former soldier, escaped from Wandsworth Prison on Wednesday morning.
He was working in the kitchen and wearing a chef's uniform when he held on to straps underneath a food lorry after it left the prison at 7.32am.
Earlier, police were scouring Richmond Park for him, just a few miles from the Category B prison.
Officers were stationed at key entry and exit points into the early hours of Friday, with two police helicopters active overhead.
By Friday afternoon, however, Sky News correspondent Milena Veselinovic said the search for Khalife had "largely moved away" from Richmond Park.
She commented: "Residents told us they had been kept up all night by the police activity, but at this point it has largely moved away or if it does exist, it is quite subtle, a lot more low profile than it was overnight."
It is assumed that Khalife knows the Richmond area well because he grew up nearby, while his mother and sister are believed to have lived in the vicinity until a few years ago.
It is not yet clear whether officers have found another area of focus.
On Thursday night, Scotland Yard said there had been no confirmed sightings of Khalife since his escape despite the police receiving more than 50 calls from the public.
While investigators believe it is possible the terror suspect has already left the country, more than 150 counterterrorism officers have been involved in a nationwide manhunt.
A 'very resourceful individual'
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, admitted the circumstances around Khalife's disappearance were "a little unusual" and said the escape was "perhaps a testament" to his "ingenuity".
He added: "We have some of the best military in the world here in the UK and he was a trained soldier.
"So ultimately he has skills perhaps some sections of the public don't have."
Commander Murphy went on to describe Khalife as a "very resourceful individual" and said his escape "clearly" took some planning.
Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officers are "looking at" whether Khalife was assisted by prison guards or other inmates as part of their investigation. No arrests have been made.
He said the incident was "clearly pre-planned" and was "unlikely to be something you do on the spur of the moment".
Mr Rowley added that it "seemed odd" Khalife was not in a high security prison, and escaped from a Category B prison.
Asked during an interview with LBC why the police waited until 3.30pm on Wednesday to alert the public to the escape - about seven hours after the food lorry was first searched by police - Mr Rowley said opening the phone lines can "generate a lot of noise", not just helpful tips.
"If we thought he was about to go out immediately and be an immediate threat to local communities, of course that would have been a factor - but that's not a factor in this case," he said.
Khalife is a former member of the Royal Signals who was based at Beacon Barracks in Stafford and was on remand awaiting trial accused of leaving fake bombs at a military base, a charge under the Terrorism Act, and another under the Official Secrets Act.
Read more:
What is life like at Wandsworth?
Notorious prison breakouts
Why wasn't Khalife in Belmarsh?
'It is not a suitable prison'
The incident has also sparked a row about HMP Wandsworth, which was built in 1851.
The most recent report by His Majesty's Chief Inspectorate of Prisons said it "remains one of the most overcrowded prisons in the country, with most prisoners sharing a cell built for one".
Charlie Taylor, chief inspector of prisons, told Sky News he believes it should be shut down.
Speaking on the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge, he said: "When you find a prison like Wandsworth, it really needs closing ultimately - it is not a suitable prison.
"In an ideal world one would, but of course you need jails because you need to service the courts."