At approximately 1049 EST initial reports indicated that Serving British Army member Daniel Khalife escaped from Wandsworth Prison in the UK. Khalife was arrested and being held under charges of terrorism when he was reported missing at 0800L. As of 1154 EST, all major airports and ports in the UK had been placed under heightened security measures in order to block Khalife’s escape from the island.
I’m at Manchester Airport where there is a significant police presence amid a hunt for escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife. He escaped Wandsworth prison this morning and ports and airports up and down the country are on high alert pic.twitter.com/bzeh5rShwT
— John Scheerhout (@johnscheerhout) September 6, 2023
— Port of Dover Travel (@PoD_travelnews) September 6, 2023
According to local media Khalife strapped himself to the undercarriage of a delivery van in a chef’s outfit and was able to make his escape. According to Sky News:
“Khalife, a former member of the Royal Signals who was based at Beacon Barracks, Beaconside, Stafford, was on remand at the south London prison awaiting trial accused of breaching the Official Secrets Act by collecting information “useful to an enemy”.
He was originally charged with two offences on 27 January following an investigation by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
He was a serving member of the British Army at the time, but was discharged in May “as a result of being held on remand for these charges,” an army spokesperson said.”
As of this publication, Khalife is still at large.