About this write The Guardian.
Daniel Abed Khalifa, 21, who escaped from the prison kitchen by tying himself to the bottom of a van, was arrested on Saturday in Chiswick, west London. He escaped in his chef’s uniform from HMP Wandsworth prison in London on the morning of September 6.
At 11 a.m. today, the London police announced that they had arrested him and he is currently in custody.
The police thanked the public and the media for their support during the investigation and help in establishing the whereabouts of Khalifa.
Rishi Sunak, speaking to world leaders at the G20 summit in Delhi, said: “I am very pleased with the news and thank the police for their fantastic work over the past few days and the public who have provided a huge number of leads to help the police in their investigation.”
The Minister of Police also congratulated the officers who participated in this operation on social networks.
Operation progress
Khalifa was held in prison awaiting trial for allegedly planting a fake bomb and gathering information that could be useful to terrorists, previously from Iran, but he denies all charges.
The Bidfood van he tied himself to the bottom of to escape left HMP Wandsworth at 7.32am on Wednesday. Khalifa was reported missing at 7:50 a.m., and the van was stopped by the police at 8:37 a.m.
On Friday, officers closed off Richmond Park in south-west London for the search, because Khalifa grew up in the area, but have not found him.
150 counter-terrorism officers were involved in the interception operation, ports and airports were put on alert and some passengers faced delays as extra checks were carried out.
Officers said he changed from his prison kitchen uniform (a white T-shirt and red and white pants) to a black baseball cap, T-shirt and pants. People have reported seeing him on the other side of the Thames from HMP Wandsworth.
The prison was closed after Khalif’s escape, leading to the disruption of trials for other defendants who were in custody.
Members of the public later reported seeing Khalifa get out of a food delivery truck a mile from the prison.
The government has been embroiled in a political row with ministers criticizing cuts and staff shortages that have left potentially dangerous prisoners in low-level prisons.
Justice Minister Alex Chalk announced an independent inquiry into Khalifa’s escape, why he was held in a lower-security prison and whether other high-risk inmates should have been released.
- A judge upheld terrorism charges against a suspect in the late 2022 shipment of several package bombs aimed at government, diplomatic and defense institutions, including the Ukrainian embassy.
Fuente: espreso.tv
