Daniel Khalife – live: Police confirm Chiswick sightings overnight as fugitive believed to change outfit

Police have confirmed sightings of Daniel Abed Khalife in the Chiswick area of west London overnight as the force revealed the outfit the fugitive terror suspect is believed to have changed into after escaping Wandsworth Prison.

Following “intelligence-led activity and some confirmed sightings”, the Metropolitan Police said it is focusing the national manhunt for Khalife in Chiswick on Saturday, with officers set to carry out “further intensive search activity” there throughout the day.

From reports received, which included calls from members of the public, the force added the former soldier is believed to be wearing a black baseball cap, black t-shirt and dark-coloured bottoms, and carrying a small bag or case.

This comes after police helicopters spent Friday night circling around the Thames in west London, with flight radar maps revealing one flying over Chiswick House and Grove Park.

The Met confirmed the first sighting of the fugitive earlier in the day after a member of the public told police they saw a man resembling Khalife walking away from the BidFood delivery van that had stopped near the south entrance to the Wandsworth roundabout on Wednesday morning.

Key Points

• Police confirm Chiswick sightings overnight as fugitive believed to change outfit

• Who is Daniel Abed Khalife? Royal Signals soldier accused of planting fake bombs

• Radar map reveals aerial police activity around west London

• Police helicopters spend night circling around Thames river

• Police keeping ‘open mind’ on whether escaped terror suspect has left country

Khalife ‘had help’ to escape, says former prisons minister

10:16 , Tara Cobham

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife would have received some sort of “collusion and support” to aid his escape, a former prisons minister has said.

Former Tory MP Rory Stewart also said that prisons in England and Wales are “unmanageable”.

Asked if he would have resigned if the escape happened during his tenure, he told Sky News: “I definitely think that it’s important for ministers to take full responsibility.

“There are 120 prisons in England and Wales. There were escapes on my watch…for the first few days, you’re just trying to work out what on earth happened – how did this happen? And the story changes, as you can imagine, minute by minute. You have to get on the ground in Wandsworth and talk to the governor.

“In this particular case, it seems clear if he had strapping underneath this vehicle, that there was some kind of collusion and support. But it’s also clear that they seemed to spend, I don’t know, half an hour/45 minutes before they even noticed he was gone from the kitchen, and he shouldn’t be in the kitchen in the first place.”

Mr Stewart added: “The bigger issue is the prison population, these prisons are totally unmanageable. And the main thing that I was trying to do when I was in government is reduce the prison population.”

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife ‘laughed' during arrest

08:31 , Tara Cobham

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife “laughed” after he was tackled off his bike by a police officer on a canal towpath and then arrested, ending a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

The former soldier – who was found with a sleeping bag, change of clothes, bottle of water and Waitrose cool bag – laughed at police and winked at passersby during his arrest, according to a witness.

Student Ethan Andrews, 20, told The Sun: “The guy looked up at me, winked and started laughing. I thought, how arrogant is that? I can’t believe he was just sitting there, looked at me and just winked.”

Inmates moved out of Wandsworth Prison after Khalife escape

09:58 , Tara Cobham

Around 40 inmates of HMP Wandsworth have been moved out of the Category B prison after terror suspect Daniel Khalife’s escape, the Justice Secretary has said.

Justice Secretry Alex Chalk said on Sunday that the preliminary findings of his investigation into the ageing London jail have found that the relevant procedures and security staff were in place.

But he said dozens of individuals on remand have been moved to different sites “out of an abundance of caution” amid questions over why a former soldier accused of a terror offence was not in the highest security prison.

Sam Blewett reports:

Inmates moved out of Wandsworth Prison after Daniel Khalife escape

Prison population gone over 88,000, says chief inspector

09:56 , Tara Cobham

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor told the BBC the prison population has gone over 88,000.

He said: “If you go back to the mid 1990s, when actually crime was much higher than it is now, our prison population was half what it is, or pretty much half what it is today. I think it was around 40 to 44,000 and it’s now gone up to over 88,000.

“The projections are that it will go up even further and the problem is if it goes up even further what that means is more prisoners sharing cells that were designed for one person, continuing to use these old battered, crumbling vermin infested Victorian jails, which would make fantastic museums or flats but really are not fit for purpose for the 21st century.

“But also that there aren’t enough staff in place to be able to unlock prisoners and actually to begin to do the things with prisoners that are actually going to help them to not offend when they come out.

“Prisons have got a public protection duty to keep people locked up when they’re inside, but they also have a public protection duty to make sure that they put in place the things that mean that when someone leaves prison, they’re less likely to reoffend.”

Prison governors’ hands tied by ‘extraordinary level of bureaucracy'

09:54 , Tara Cobham

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has said that prison governors’ hands are often tied by an “extraordinary level of bureaucracy”.

He told the Laura Kuenssberg show: “It’s not just about the pipeline of people coming in. It’s also about the quality of people coming in. And the fact that many people are leaving the job after quite short periods of time.

“And one of the reasons for that, and governors tell me this is that, governors themselves have no part in the selection of staff who come and work in their jail. The boss can’t choose their staff.

“I’m a former head teacher and I sit there aghast at some of the things that governors can’t do. They can’t commission work.

“I spoke to a governor last week who said that in order to buy a pot of paint, she had to go through some long procurement exercise through the centre rather than sending someone down to Howdens to buy a pot of paint to decorate some cells.

“So there is a sort of bureaucracy around prisons, which makes things incredibly complicated and means the governors, some of them are unbelievably impressive people who do an absolutely brilliant job, but often their hands are tied by what seems to me coming from an education background, like an extraordinary level of bureaucracy.”

Wandsworth prisoners spend 22 hours a day in cells, says chief inspector

09:22 , Tara Cobham

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has said that prisoners at Wandsworth Prison spend up to 22 hours a day in their cells.

He told the BBC: “I think Wandsworth is failing typical of most inner city Victorian local prisons of which there is still a huge amount that are open and and there are three things really it’s about having enough staff of the right quality. It’s about the level of overcrowding that you have.

“I think Wandsworth is 600 over what it was originally designed for. It’s about, 1,600 prisoners, and that means lots of people sharing cells that were originally designed for one person.

“And the third thing is about prisoners having enough to do and what we found when we inspected Wandsworth last year was that people were largely locked in their cells for up to 22 hours a day and sometimes even worst at the weekends.”

Justice Secretary has ‘absolute confidence’ in HMPPS investigation

09:20 , Tara Cobham

The Justice Secretary has said he has “absolute confidence” in the senior leadership of HM Prison and Probation Service to do a “very rigorous, very searching” investigation following Daniel Khalife’s escape from Wandsworth Prison.

Alex Chalk told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that investigations into how the terror suspect was able to escape are currently underway.

He said: “I have absolute confidence in the senior leadership of HM Prison and Probation Service to do their own very rigorous, very searching investigation.”

Preliminary findings suggest it is “clear” the relevant security protocols and staff were in place at the time of Khalife’s escape, he said.

HMP Wandsworth had correct security protocols, suggests Justice Secretary

09:07 , Tara Cobham

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said an investigation has suggested that HMP Wandsworth did have the correct security protocols and staff in place at the time of Daniel Khalife’s escape.

Discussing preliminary findings of a review he issued, Mr Chalk told Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips the investigation has looked into whether protocols were in place relating to the unloading of food from a van and searching the delivery vehicle.

“Those protocols were in place, point one,” he said.

“And point two, the relevant security staff were also in place. Plainly what we’ve yet to establish is whether those protocols were followed.”

He said he will set out the terms of reference “next week” of the separate independent investigation to ensure that the conclusions are “rock solid”.

Justice Secretary says 40 inmates moved out of Wandsworth Prison

09:05 , Tara Cobham

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said that around 40 inmates of Category B HMP Wandsworth have been moved out of the prison amid an investigation into how Daniel Khalife escaped.

He told Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “Out of an abundance of caution some prisoners there, some of those on remand, have been moved (this week).

“Additional resources have of course gone into Wandsworth, so there’s additional governor support, a former governor with particular expertise in security.

“But also, out of an abundance of caution, around 40 prisoners have been moved just while we get to the bottom of what took place in Wandsworth. That is a sensible, precautionary measure.”

Runner describes seeing Khalife hours before arrest

09:01 , Tara Cobham

Runner, Frank Noon, saw Wandsworth Prison terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife further down Thames hours before his arrest in Greenford.

Noon saw the 21-year-old “lying on his back” while he was running along the river.

“It was only when I saw him three hours later and he was wearing the same clothes that I thought that’s the same guy that’s weird,” Mr Noon told Sky News.

Khalife was tackled off his bike by a police officer on a canal towpath and then arrested, ending a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by a plainclothes counter-terrorism officer near Rowdell Road in west London just before 11am on Saturday (9 September) morning and is currently in their custody.

Shabnoor Irshad reports:

Runner describes seeing escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife hours before arrest

Questions that remain about Khalife's prison escape

07:55 , Vishwam Sankaran

Police commissioner Mark Rowley said the terror suspect’s escape from the Wandsworth prison was “clearly pre-planned.”

Daniel Khalife escaped from the prison by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery truck leaving the facility.

Mr Khalife’s escape has posed questions about the suitability of his incarceration at a Category B prison, when terror accused individuals are usually imprisoned in Category A facilities.

Justice secretary Alex Chalk has held an urgent call with the prison governor to seek assurances about the security of the jail.

“As people already know, the Justice Secretary has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances of his escape and that work will continue,” UK prime minister Rishi Sunak told broadcasters at the G20 summit venue in New Delhi.

What is terror suspect Daniel Khalife accused of?

07:20 , Vishwam Sankaran

The 21-year old terror suspect Daniel Khalife, who escaped from the Wandsworth facility, is set to go on trial in November over charges that he left fake bombs at a military base.

His intentions were reportedly to stir fears of a terrorist attack.

The terror suspect is also accused of gathering information that could benefit a foreign enemy, reportedly Iran.

Prior to his initial arrest, the 21-year-old had formerly been a soldier in the British Army since 2018.

He had worked as a computer network engineer with the Royal Corps of Signals.

Mr Khalife allegedly placed “three canisters with wires at RAF Stafford with the intention of inducing in another a belief that the said article was likely to explode or ignite and thereby cause personal injury or damage to property.”

Khalife is believed to be of Iranian descent and the 21-year-old allegedly attempted to pass on “information that could be useful to an enemy” to a foreign power, believed to be Iran.

Prison inspector reveals what life inside Wandsworth facility is like

06:50 , Vishwam Sankaran

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife escaped from Wandsworth prison on Wednesday, leading to a 75-hour manhunt that led to his capture.

His Majesty’s chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor reveals what life inside the “vermin-infested, crumbling” prison is like.

The prison, which holds over 1,500 inmates is a “squalid, overcrowded” prison with 600 more prisoners than its original capacity, he says based on his account of the facility.

The inspector probed the facility in September 2021 following a string of self-inflicted deaths at the jail and returned again less than a year later.

At the prison, each cell is small, dark, and cramped, with an unscreened toilet in the corner, a sink, and a plastic chair.

Cells on the lower floors suffer from vermin, while those on the top are “unbearably hot” during the summer, the prison inspector says.

However, he adds that the prison’s staff still manage to do “an amazing job” despite the “most difficult circumstances.”

Why I believe squalid prisons like Wandsworth should be closed| Charlie Taylor

Read more about the inspector’s first-hand account of the Wandsworth prison here.

Commander thanks public for support in capturing terror suspect

06:20 , Vishwam Sankaran

Counter-terrorism Commander Dominic Murphy thanked the public for their support in capturing escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

“I am pleased to say that after 75 hours of my team and support from the Metropolitan police in leading the manhunt for Daniel Khalife, this morning he was arrested and he is now back in custody,” Mr Murphy said in a video message shared on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.

“In no small part, this is thanks to support from the public who have called in their hundreds to support our manhunt. So I would like to thank you for all your efforts,” the commander said.

How 75-hour manhunt for terror suspect panned out

05:49 , Vishwam Sankaran

The manhunt for 21-year-old escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife started after prison staff alerted the Metropolitan Police force at 7:50am on Wednesday.

A national search ensued in the next four days, involving 150 Met officers and staff, as well as colleagues from other forces across the UK.

Officers worked “at pace around the clock” receiving more than 100 calls from members of the public.

The suspect is believed to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth prison strapped to the bottom of a delivery lorry on Wednesday.

Mapped: The hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife - arrested 45 minutes away

A member of the public reported seeing Khalife walking away from a Bidfood van near Wandsworth Roundabout after he made his escape from the prison.

Police helicopters circled around the Thames in west London looking for the 21-year-old.

The police force then focused its search in Chiswick after confirmed sightings.

Shortly after, the Met announced that the suspect had been nabbed in Chiswick and is currently in police custody.

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife arrested in Chiswick

05:00 , Joe Middleton

Timeline of terror suspect Daniel Khalife’s escape from Wadsworth Prison and eventual arrest

04:00 , Joe Middleton

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested on the fourth day of a manhunt after he escaped from HMP Wandsworth underneath a lorry.

The 21-year-old was arrested just before 11am on Saturday in Chiswick, west London, and is now in police custody, the force said.Officers descended on Chiswick with police dogs in tow after “intelligence-led activity” and confirmed sightings from members of the public in the area overnight.

Timeline of events around capture of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Daniel Khalife escape: Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots

03:00 , Joe Middleton

The chief inspector of prisons has revealed the chaos inside overcrowded Wandsworth jail where inmates tell staff the rules – as questions mount about the “inside help” fugitive Daniel Khalife was given to make his dramatic escape.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Charlie Taylor described “small, dark and cramped” cells plagued with damp and vermin, where inmates are routinely locked up for 22 hours a day with little access to education or training to break the cycle of offending.

Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots

Who is Daniel Abed Khalife? Royal Signals soldier and terror suspect arrested after 75 hours on run

02:00 , Joe Middleton

A soldier turned terror suspect, Daniel Abed Khalife has been the subject of a nationwide manhunt, having finally been captured 75 hours after outwitting the guards at a London prison.

He escaped in a chef’s outfit by using straps to cling onto a food delivery van, with his current location unknown.

Police commissioner Mark Rowley said the escape was “clearly pre-planned” – pointing to “the fact he could strap himself onto the bottom of the wagon”, referring to the delivery van Khalife used to flee.

With airports and ports installing additional security measures and holidaymakers reporting delays at border control, his escape has posed serious questions about the suitability of his incarceration at a Category B prison.

Prior to his arrest in January, the 21-year-old 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.

All we know about Daniel Khalife: Royal Signals soldier arrested after prison escape

Daniel Khalife arrested by police in west London

01:00 , Joe Middleton

Terror suspect ‘laughed and winked’ during arrest

22:46 , Joe Middleton

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife “laughed and winked” at onlooker after being detained by police on Saturday morning.

Student Ethan Andrews, 20, witnessed the arrest, he told The Sun: “The guy looked up at me, winked and started laughing. I thought, how arrogant is that?

“I can’t believe he was just sitting there, looked at me and just winked.”

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife arrested as police tackle him off bike

21:23 , Joe Middleton

A terror suspect who escaped from prison by strapping himself to the underside of a delivery lorry has been caught after being tackled off his bike on a towpath by a police officer.

Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, a former soldier who fled HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, was arrested on suspicion of being unlawfully at large and being an escaped prisoner.

He was spotted by the plainclothes counterterrorism officer just before 11am on Saturday in northwest London, about 12 miles from where he fled, and is now in police custody, the Metropolitan Police said. Khalife was found with the bike, a sleeping bag and a cool bag full of food.

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife arrested as police tackle him off bike

Met Police ‘pivoting’ investigation to Khalife’s escape and if other persons were involved

20:45 , Joe Middleton

The Metropolitan Police said it will now be “pivoting” its investigation to Khalife’s escape and if other people were involved after the terror suspect was captured on Saturday morning.

In a press release on Saturday evening Commander Dominic Murphy said: “Our priority following Khalife’s escape was to find him and bring him back to custody, which, thanks to the help of the public, and the excellent work by our officers, we have achieved.

“We are now pivoting our investigation towards the circumstances of his escape and whether there may have been any other persons involved and that investigation continues.”

Plain-clothed officer pulled Daniel Khalife off bicycle during arrest, police say

20:07 , Joe Middleton

Pictured: This is the moment Daniel Khalife was arrested by officers

19:29 , Joe Middleton

Footage obtained by The Sun shows the moment that Daniel Khalife was detained by officers in Northolt, west London, on Saturday morning.

The video sees the suspect sat on the floor on the canal towpath in a white t-shirt close to a Waitrose bag, bottle of water bike and sleeping bag.

In a briefing to journalists on Saturday afternoon the Met Police said that the terror suspect was pulled from the bike by a lone officer, ending the four day manhunt.

When he was detained Khalife said “It’s not me! I haven’t done anything”, accoding to an eyewitness who spoke to the MailOnline.

It is unclear now if Khalife will be taken back to the category B prison or to a higher-security location.

Khalife was awaiting trial after allegedly planting a fake bomb at an RAF base and gathering information that might be useful to terrorists or enemies of the UK.

Timeline of terror suspect Daniel Khalife’s escape from Wadsworth Prison and eventual arrest

18:42 , Joe Middleton

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested on the fourth day of a manhunt after he escaped from HMP Wandsworth underneath a lorry.

The 21-year-old was arrested just before 11am on Saturday in Chiswick, west London, and is now in police custody, the force said.Officers descended on Chiswick with police dogs in tow after “intelligence-led activity” and confirmed sightings from members of the public in the area overnight.

Here is a timeline of the events leading to the capture of Khalife:

Timeline of events around capture of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Mapped: The 75-hour hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife - arrested 45 minutes down the road

17:40 , Joe Middleton

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife has been found and arrested in west London following a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by officers in Chiswick just before 11am on Saturday, a mere 45 minutes drive away from the prison he escaped from on Wednesday morning.

After prison staff alerted the force to the missing 21-year-old at 7.50am, a national search ensued over the next four days, which The Independent has shown on a map.

Mapped: The hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife - arrested 45 minutes away

Plain-clothed officer pushed Daniel Khalife off bicycle during arrest, police say

17:10 , Joe Middleton

Police say public was ‘integral’ in search

16:46 , Tara Cobham

Police have praised the public, saying they played an “integral part” in tracking down Daniel Khalife.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday afternoon, Metropolitan Police Commander Dominic Murphy said the force received “well over” 100 calls in the “extremely complicated” investigation.

He also commended the Met’s officers and staff who put in an “astonishing amount of resource” and thanked the intelligence services, with whom the force worked “really closely”.

Police tell how events leading up to Khalife unfolded

16:40 , Tara Cobham

The search for Daniel Khalife "really gathered momentum" from Friday afternoon, said Commander Dominic Murphy, with the number of calls the force received from the public increasing “substantially” last night and into the early hours of this morning.

At a press conference on Saturday afternoon, he said the manhunt "took a different course" overnight with an intelligence-led search of a home in the borough of Richmond, which involved "a lot of police activity".

While Khalife was not found there, the force received multiple reports of confirmed sightings from members of the public when they were at the address.

One sighting was reported "around the corner" in Richmond, while two more were reported in Chiswick, including on Spencer Road and the area of Church Street and Chiswick Mall, with officers deployed to all locations.

Police helicopters and dogs were deployed throughout the night and into the morning in the search locations, with reports that residents’ gardens were scoured.

But it was a plainclothes counter-terrorism police officer, who was working as part of the investigation, who finally spotted Khalife. The officer was walking along a canal towpath by Rowdell Road in the UB5 area of west London when they recognised Khalife on a push bike. The officer "pulled him off the bike" and put Khalife in handcuffs, ending the four-day nationwide manhunt.

Pictured: Canal towpath where officer caught Khalife

16:27 , Tara Cobham

A picture shows the canal towpath where a police officer spotted Daniel Khalife, before tackling him off a bike and then putting him in handcuffs, ending a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

In a press conference on Saturday afternoon, the Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by a plainclothes counter-terrorism officer on Rowdell Road in west London just before 11am on Saturday morning and is currently in their custody.

Home Secretary praises work of police in tracking down Khalife

16:22 , Tara Cobham

Home Secretary Suella Braverman praised the work of police and intelligence workers in tracking down Daniel Khalife.

Writing on social media, she said: “Terrorism suspect Daniel Khalife has been tracked down & brought back into custody thanks to the determined work of our police & intelligence partners.

“I want to thank @metpoliceuk, agencies & Border Force for their work on this massive operation.”

Anyone who helped Khalife in his escape will face justice, says Met Police

16:03 , Tara Cobham

Police will ensure that anyone who helped or supported Daniel Khalife in his escape faces justice, said Commander Dominic Murphy.

At an online press conference this afternoon, he said there have been no further arrests so far but threatened: “Anyone who had supported Khalife before, during or after – I can tell you we will be looking for those individuals and they will form part of our investigation."

He told reporters: “It is important to say now though, now he is in custody, and he is in custody in a west London police station, this is still an ongoing investigation so he still has to stand trial for the original offences for which he was on remand and clearly we now need to go and complete the rest of our investigation into his escape.”

He added: “If we identify anybody who helped and supported him we will be looking for them and ensuring that they also face justice.”

Khalife tackled off bike by police on canal towpath

15:48 , Joe Middleton

In a press conference this afternoon the Metropolitan Police said that Daniel Khalife was tackled off his bike by police on canal towpath and then arrested.

Commander Dominic Murphy, the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism chief, said at an online press conference: “At 10.41am he was arrested in Rowdell Road in UB5 in London on the canal towpath.

“He was actually arrested by a plain clothes officer... and he was riding a pedal cycle so a pushbike at the time, was pulled off that pushbike by that officer and arrested at that location.

“Upon being detained by the officer he was fully co-operative and handcuffed and arrested.”

Recap: Soldiers reveal what Khalife is really like

15:22 , Tara Cobham

The soldier facing terrorism and espionage charges who escaped from prison claimed to be a survivalist and went on solitary overnight camping expeditions when off-duty, according to former colleagues who knew him.

Daniel Abed Khalife boasted that he would join a signals unit of Special Forces and was preparing for the entry requirements. There is, however, no evidence of him officially embarking on this path. Former soldiers who knew him say that he was viewed as “ a bit of a fantasist” , but someone “ who took his fitness seriously”.

Two former soldiers in the Royal Corps of Signals described 21 year old Khalife as someone seeking attention and sometimes “ playing the clown” to do so. They recall an incident in which he stole a senior officer’s epaulettes, put them on his uniform, and wanted to post photos on social media wearing them.

Kim Sengupta reports:

The vain survivalist: Soldiers reveal what Daniel Abed Khalife is really like

Timeline of Khalife’s escape and eventual arrest

14:30 , Tara Cobham

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested on the fourth day of a manhunt after he escaped from HMP Wandsworth underneath a lorry.

The 21-year-old was arrested just before 11am on Saturday in Chiswick, west London, and is now in police custody, the force said. Officers descended on Chiswick with police dogs in tow after "intelligence-led activity" and confirmed sightings from members of the public in the area overnight.

Rishi Sunak said he is "very pleased" Khalife has been arrested as he praised efforts by the police and the public in finding him.

Here is a timeline of the events leading to the capture of Khalife:

Timeline of events around capture of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Police officers pictured in Chiswick this morning after confirmed sightings in the area overnight.

14:16 , Rachel Flynn

Chiswick resident opened curtains to five police officers this morning

14:15 , Tara Cobham

The Met Police issued an appeal at around 9am for members of the public in the west London district to “remain vigilant”, announcing that Khalife was believed to be wearing a black baseball cap, black T-shirt and dark-coloured bottoms, carrying a small bag or case.

And just under two hours later officers apprehended the suspect.

Local resident Paul Wade said he opened his curtains to find five police officers outside his home earlier on Saturday.

The 79-year-old said: “They were checking everybody’s gardens. Our neighbour told us there were sniffer dogs.

“As we understand it, they just clambered over the walls and inspected, they didn’t wake everybody up. They just checked. They had helicopters above.”

Daniel Khalife, the 21-year-old who escaped from HMP Wandsworth

14:07 , Rachel Flynn

Justice Secretary will leave ‘no stone unturned’ in investigations

14:00 , Tara Cobham

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said that he will leave “no stone unturned” in the investigations launched after the escape of Daniel Khalife, who is back in custody.

In a statement, the Cabinet minister said: “I would like to thank the police and partners for their comprehensive efforts over recent days. I am also grateful to staff across HMPPS (HM Prison and Probation Service) for their continued focus and professionalism.

“With Daniel Khalife now in custody, the legal process must be allowed to take its course. Nothing should be said or done to prejudice any future trial.

“The investigations I requested into prison security and categorisation are well in train, and I will leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of how this serious breach was possible.”

Mapped: The 75-hour hunt for escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife

13:45 , Tara Cobham

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife has been found and arrested in west London following a 75-hour nationwide manhunt.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by officers in Chiswick just before 11am on Saturday, a mere 45 minutes drive away from the prison he escaped from on Wednesday morning.

After prison staff alerted the force to the missing 21-year-old at 7.50am, a national search ensued over the next four days, which The Independent has shown on a map.

Labour demand answers from government over Khalife escape

13:30 , Tara Cobham

Labour demanded answers from the Government now that Daniel Khalife has been arrested.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper wrote on social media: “Thank you to all the police & intelligence teams involved in the search and arrest of Daniel Khalife – very welcome news he has now been caught.

“Now we need answers about how on earth a prisoner charged with terror & national security offences could have escaped in this way.”

Minister: ‘We need to look at what went wrong’

13:13 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

Tom Tugendhat has said that “we need to look at what went wrong” to allow Daniel Khalife to escape from HMP Wandsworth.

The security minister said it is “fantastic news” the terror suspect was captured and praised the “huge effort” by the police.

“It's a phenomenal success of very, very quick response and a very quick reaction by some extraordinarily dedicated and professional people,” he said.

And, asked about how concerning it was that Mr Khalife escaped in the first place, Mr Tugendhat said: “There's no question that the prison service will want to look at what happened, how it happened and see what lessons need to be learned.

“I am not going to get into an after action review before we have done the inquiry.”

He added: “We do need to look at categorisation, we do need to look at what went wrong, otherwise he would not have escaped.”

Police arrest escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife in Chiswick

13:11 , Tara Cobham

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested in Chiswick, west London, and is in police custody, says the Metropolitan Police.

The force said officers apprehended the 21-year-old just before 11am today in the Chiswick area, and he is currently in police custody.

Officers had been searching the district earlier today after confirmed sightings in the area - stopping and checking cars, inspecting car boots and asking residents for their IDs.

Rich Booth and Rachel Flynn report:

Police arrest escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife in Chiswick

Watch: Rishi Sunak ‘pleased’ with escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife arrest

13:09 , Tara Cobham

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thanks the police and the public for helping capture Daniel Abed Khalife, the terror suspect who escaped from prison.

Speaking from the G20 summit in India, the prime minister said he is “very pleased” with the news that police have captured the terror suspect.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Khalife was arrested just before 11am on Saturday, 9 September, after escaping HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday.

The force issued a short statement which said officers apprehended the 21-year-old in the Chiswick area and he has been taken into police custody.

Shabnoor Irshad reports:

Rishi Sunak ‘pleased’ with escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife arrest

Recap: Anarchy revealed inside Wandsworth Prison after Khalife escape

13:00 , Tara Cobham

The chief inspector of prisons has revealed the chaos inside overcrowded Wandsworth jail where inmates tell staff the rules – as questions mount about the “inside help” fugitive Daniel Khalife was given to make his dramatic escape.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Charlie Taylor described “small, dark and cramped” cells plagued with damp and vermin, where inmates are routinely locked up for 22 hours a day with little access to education or training to break the cycle of offending.

Mr Taylor said the single biggest problem that faces Wandsworth is a lack of staff, with shortages in every area. He added that many staff were only recently out of school and so inexperienced that prisoners frequently have to tell new workers what they are supposed to do.

As the national manhunt edged into its fourth day, police detailed the first confirmed sighting of the 21-year-old British army soldier – who slipped past guards at the category B prison by clinging to straps placed underneath a food delivery truck – describing it as a significant lead.

Kim Sengupta, Andy Gregory and Holly Evans report:

Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots

Home Office minister congratulates police for ‘rapid effective’ work

12:08 , Tara Cobham

Home Office minister Chris Philp congratulated the police for their “rapid and effective” work to apprehend fugitive terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

The policing minister wrote on social media: “Great work by the Met Police. Well done for a rapid and effective piece of work to catch this fugitive.

“An example of policing at its best. Congratulations to all Officers involved in this operation.”

Prime Minister ‘very pleased’ Khalife arrested

12:07 , Tara Cobham

Rishi Sunak said he is “very pleased” terror suspect Daniel Khalife has been arrested, as he praised efforts by the police and the public in finding him.

Speaking to broadcasters at the G20 summit venue in New Delhi, the Prime Minister said: “I’m very pleased with the news and my thanks to the police officers for their fantastic work over the past couple of days, but also to the public who came forward with an enormous number of leads to help the police in their inquiries.

“It’s good news that we captured the person concerned. As people already know, the Justice Secretary has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances of his escape and that work will continue.

“And this is obviously very welcome news. And again, my thanks to the police but also to the public for their help.”

Watch: Police search location in Chiswick as hunt for Khalife continues

12:00 , Tara Cobham

Police officers continue their search on Chiswick Mall for Daniel Abed Khalife after he was reported missing from Wandsworth prison.

Police have confirmed sightings of the terror suspect in the Chiswick area of west London.

Officers have been stopping and checking cars in Chiswick and asking residents for their IDs and looking in boots of cars on Church Street and Chiswick Lane South.

Armed police officers have also been searching up and down the road.

Shabnoor Irshad reports:

Police officers search location in Chiswick as hunt for Daniel Khalife continues

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife found and arrested in Chiswick

11:42 , Tara Cobham

Escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife has been found and arrested in the Chiswick area of west London following a four-day nationwide manhunt.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the former soldier was arrested by officers just before 11am on Saturday morning and is currently in their custody.

The 21-year-old is believed to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday morning by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery lorry after leaving the prison kitchen in a cook’s uniform.

In their statement, the Met said: “We would like to thank the public and media for their support throughout our investigation to locate Khalife and we will provide a further update on his arrest in due course.”

Former justice secretary calls for more prisons so Wandsworth can close

11:30 , Tara Cobham

Conservative former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland has said there must be more prison space built to allow the closure of out of date sites such as HMP Wandsworth.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s important to emphasise that an escape like this is a pretty exceptional event, it brings back to mind escapes like Ronnie Biggs and George Blake from distant history.

“However, there is no doubt that our Prison Service is a forgotten service in our country.

“It’s a service that either people don’t want to talk about or just don’t know enough about.

“We run the prisons service at a hugely hot rate, about 98% capacity and I think that isn’t a desirable state of affairs. We need more capacity to allow for flexibility.”

He said new facilities are not being built fast enough to “close the sort of prisons like Wandsworth and other London prisons that are well past their sell by date”.

Radar map revealing aerial police activity around west London overnight

10:55 , Tara Cobham

A radar map revealed aerial police activity around Hammersmith and Chiswick in west London overnight amid the national manhunt for Daniel Abed Khalife.

Police helicopters spent Friday night circling around the Thames in west London, with flight radar maps revealing one flying over Chiswick House and Grove Park.

The Met has now confirmed sightings of the fugitive terror suspect in Chiswick overnight. Following “intelligence-led activity and some confirmed sightings”, the force said it is focusing the search there on Saturday, with officers set to carry out “further intensive search activity” in the area throughout the day.

Who is Daniel Abed Khalife?

10:30 , Tara Cobham

A soldier turned terror suspect, Daniel Abed Khalife is now the subject of a nationwide manhunt after outwitting the guards at a London prison.

He escaped in a chef’s outfit by using straps to cling onto a food delivery van, with his current location unknown. Intelligence sources have told The Independent it is “almost certain” that he had “inside help”.

Police commissioner Mark Rowley said the escape was “clearly pre-planned” – pointing to “the fact he could strap himself onto the bottom of the wagon”, referring to the delivery van Khalife used to flee.

Holly Evans and Andy Gregory report:

All we know about Daniel Khalife - Royal Signals soldier on the run from prison

Police appear to have scaled back search for Khalife in Chiswick

10:18 , Tara Cobham

Police appear to have scaled back their search for Daniel Khalife in Chiswick, south west London.

A number of police cars have left the scene and the area has become busy with runners and dog walkers.

Territorial Support Group vans and unmarked police cars had been spotted in the area early on Saturday.

Chiswick resident Brenda MacDonald said she had seen “loads of vans” and helicopters as police searched the area.

The 78-year-old said: “I guessed it was something to do with (Khalife) because of him landing in Wandsworth. It is not far to get here.

“They have got to catch him because it was silly enough that they let him get out.”

Watch: Police search location in Chiswick as hunt for Khalife continues

10:05 , Tara Cobham

Former Prisons Service director general criticises ‘mess’ in system

10:00 , Tara Cobham

A former director general of the Prisons Service has criticised the “mess” in the system that he believes will have played a role in Daniel Khalife’s escape.

Phil Wheatley told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It has highlighted that the prison system is in a degree of chaos at the moment.

“It is very difficult to make anything work well when you are just managing day by day to fumble your way through with too many prisoners and not enough staff. So, I would be surprised in the long run if that wasn’t one of the factors that led to things not working right.

“The system is just about at maximum capacity, it’s overflowing out into police cells, that’s driven by longer sentences.

“The Government has been very keen on longer sentences for criminals but they haven’t supplied the places with enough staff to supervise them, nor have they managed to maintain existing prisons.

“They’ve spent what capital they’ve got on trying to build new places, meanwhile some of the older accommodation has had to be taken out of use because it can’t be maintained – so it’s all a bit of a mess, it doesn’t look like a well-planned, thought through policy that has been resourced.”

Chiswick resident will keep his ‘eyes peeled’ for fugitive

09:43 , Tara Cobham

A Chiswick resident has said he is going to keep his “eyes peeled” for Daniel Khalife.

Will Lewis lives on Chiswick Lane South where the police are searching for the former soldier.

The 23-year-old said: “I heard he had been seen around west London and we have all said he could be around here.

“We saw the description of him so we are going to keep our eyes peeled. It’s clearly developing quite quickly.

“It’s a really nice area. There are lots of people just going about their daily lives, running. It’s very safe, I have never seen any disturbance around here. It is usually quiet as well.”

Police checking cars in Chiswick as armed officers search roads

09:27 , Tara Cobham

Police officers have been stopping and checking cars in Chiswick, south-west London, in the search for Daniel Khalife.

Officers have been seen asking residents for their IDs and looking in boots of cars on Church Street and Chiswick Lane South.

Armed police officers have also been searching up and down the road.

A police boat can also be seen on the River Thames close to the roads.

Police dogs have also been at the scene.

Police confirm Chiswick sightings overnight as fugitive believed to change outfit

09:20 , Tara Cobham

Police have confirmed sightings of Daniel Abed Khalife in the Chiswick area of west London overnight as the force revealed the outfit the fugitive terror suspect is believed to have changed into after escaping Wandsworth Prison.

Following “intelligence-led activity and some confirmed sightings”, the Metropolitan Police said it is focusing the national manhunt for Khalife in Chiswick on Saturday, with officers set to carry out “further intensive search activity” there throughout the day.

From reports received, which included calls from members of the public, the force believes the former soldier is wearing a black baseball cap, black t-shirt and dark-coloured bottoms, and carrying a small bag or case.

Khalife was thought to have fled in the chef’s uniform he wore while working in the prison’s kitchens, suggesting he has since changed outfit.

In the statement, the Met added: “We urge members of the public in that area to remain vigilant and call 999 immediately should they see Khalife, or if they have any information that could assist the search. Whilst we advise members of the public not to approach Khalife if they see him, we still assess that he does not pose a threat to the wider public.”

‘Definitely lots of police activity’ in southwest London today, confirms Met

08:26 , Tara Cobham

There will “definitely be a lot of police activity” in the southwest London search areas throughout Saturday, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson has confirmed.

They told The Independent the force is currently taking the report of a sighting of Daniel Khalife near Wandsworth Roundabout “seriously”, describing it as “important” and “significant” to investigations. “We’re hanging a lot on it,” they added.

“It’s significant because it’s the point that the first phase of his escape is over,” the spokesperson said. “In terms of the investigation, they’re treating it as significant. Given the circumstances, a man seen walking away from a food van seems to be strong stuff. It’s reasonable for officers to hang a lot on it.”

Recap: Two pieces of footage released by police in nationwide hunt for Khalife

07:29 , Tara Cobham

Police released new footage showing the BidFood van use by Daniel Khalife to escape prison as the force appealing to the public for their help in finding the fugitive terror suspect.

The video shows the lorry, which Khalife is thought to have clung to the bottom of, outside Wandsworth Town Hall and then driving on the A205 at the junction with Wandsworth Plain.

The Metropolitan Police is now offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information that leads to Khalife’s arrest, as detectives investigate a potentially “very significant” sighting of him near Wandsworth Roundabout.

Editorial: Daniel Khalife’s escape lays wide open the woeful state of our prisons

06:34 , Anuj Pant

There are three things that are invariably true about prison escapes. The first is that they are uncommon; the second is that most are planned with the help of accomplices; and the third is that they tend to capture the public imagination.

The case of the terror suspect Daniel Khalife is hardly The Shawshank Redemption, but it seems destined to stay in the headlines for weeks if not years to come, and his apparently audacious breakout has indeed become a focus of media and political attention. Soon, the clamour for a scapegoat – or just accountability – will begin, with the governor at Wandsworth prison, Katie Price, an obvious candidate.

An accidental consequence of this sensational story is that it has highlighted just how squalid conditions in the British prison system can be – and how far the prison service has been run down in recent years.

Editorial: Daniel Khalife’s escape lays wide open the woeful state of our prisons

Daniel Khalife’s family blame British Army as they urge fugitive to hand himself in

06:11 , Anuj Pant

Tearful relatives of fugitive Daniel Abed Khalife have appealed for him to give himself up and blamed the British Army for his current predicament.

“If I could talk to him, I would tell him to end this and give himself up, even though I understand he is afraid,” the unnamed relative said.

Describing him as a “very, very intelligent, easy going and kind boy”, they said he had changed in the past year and had become “scared to talk about it”.

They said “the army has to answer for what happened”.

Holly Evans has more.

Daniel Khalife’s family blame British Army as they urge fugitive to hand himself in

ICYMI: What are police doing in Richmond Park?

06:05 , Anuj Pant

Police have been searching Richmond Park in London as part of the manhunt for a former soldier and terror suspect who escaped from Wandsworth Prison.

Daniel Abed Khalife outwitted guards on Wednesday morning as he fled the prison clinging to straps underneath a food delivery van, and intelligence sources have told The Independent it is “almost certain that he had some inside help”.

Police have revealed that the 21-year-old had a 65-minute window to make his break for freedom between the Bidfood delivery van he fled on leaving the prison gates at 7.32am and the police catching up with it on Richmond Road in Putney at 8.37am.

Andy Gregory, Alexander Butler and Tara Cobham have the latest on the police search for Khalife.

Police scour Richmond Park as search for terror suspect on the run continues

Police officials say its ‘absolutely possible’ Khalife has already left country

05:58 , Anuj Pant

Met police chief Mark Rowley has said its ‘absolutely possible’ Daniel Abed Khalife has already left the country.

Khalife has been accused of planting fake bombs at a military base before he allegedly “graduated” to attempted spying for Iran.

Commissioner Mark Rowley also said Khalife’s escape was “clearly pre-planned”.

He was also asked if the escape was an “inside job”. “It is a question. Did anyone inside the prison help him? Other prisoners, guard staff?” he replied.

He said about 150 officers are involved in the nationwide manhunt for Khalife, with help from other forces and the Border Force.

Radar map reveals aerial police activity around west London

05:32 , Anuj Pant

A flight radar map has shown police activity that focused around west London, around Hammersmith and Chiswick.

Helicopters have spent Friday night circling the area. Officials, however, have not linked the activity to the nationwide manhunt for Khalife, who escaped Wandsworth prison.

Flight radar maps show particular interest around Hogarth roundabout

05:21 , Anuj Pant

Flight radar maps have shown police activity to be focused around Hammersmith and Chiswick in west London as the search for fugitive Daniel Khalife continues.

Police have focused on a wooded area on the south side of the Thames near the Hogarth roundabout, where there is a long wooded path on the south of the river.

The National Police Air Service (Npas) have confirmed they conducted searches at Richmond Park. The activity witnessed yesterday, however, has not been confirmed as being focused on the search for Khalife.

Police helicopters spend night circling around Thames river

05:14 , Anuj Pant

Police helicopters have spent the night circling around the Thames river in Hammersmith, west London as the search for fugitive Daniel Khalife continues.

Officials have not yet confirmed their focus is linked to Khalife.

Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed

03:00 , Holly Evans

The chef’s uniform Daniel Abed Khalife was wearing when he escaped Wandsworth Prison has been revealed by police as the nationwide manhunt for the fugitive terror suspect continues.

The former British army soldier fled from HMP Wandsworth at 7.50am on Wednesday by clinging to the straps of a food delivery van while wearing the cook’s uniform he wore to work in the London prison.

As more than 150 Metropolitan Police officers and staff search for the 21-year-old, the force has revealed images of the clothes he wore when he escaped, with a police spokesperson telling The Independent the outfit is assumed to be Khalife’s chef’s uniform.

Tara Cobham has more

Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed

Daniel Khalife’s escape lays wide open the woeful state of our prisons

02:00 , Holly Evans

There are three things that are invariably true about prison escapes. The first is that they are uncommon; the second is that most are planned with the help of accomplices; and the third is that they tend to capture the public imagination.

The case of the terror suspect Daniel Khalife is hardly The Shawshank Redemption, but it seems destined to stay in the headlines for weeks if not years to come, and his apparently audacious breakout has indeed become a focus of media and political attention.

Soon, the clamour for a scapegoat – or just accountability – will begin, with the governor at Wandsworth prison, Katie Price, an obvious candidate.

Read more here

Editorial: Daniel Khalife’s escape lays wide open the woeful state of our prisons

Soldiers reveal what on the run terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife is really like

01:00 , Holly Evans

The soldier facing terrorism and espionage charges who escaped from prison claimed to be a survivalist and went on solitary overnight camping expeditions when off-duty, according to former colleagues who knew him.

Daniel Abed Khalife boasted that he would join a signals unit of Special Forces and was preparing for the entry requirements. There is, however, no evidence of him officially embarking on this path. Former soldiers who knew him say that he was viewed as “ a bit of a fantasist” , but someone “ who took his fitness seriously”.

Read more from Kim Sengupta here

The vain survivalist: Soldiers reveal what Daniel Abed Khalife is really like

Sunak refuses to back Wandsworth prison governor

Saturday 9 September 2023 00:00 , Holly Evans

Rishi Sunak decline to say whether he has confidence in the governor of HMP Wandsworth Katie Price following the escape of terror suspect Daniel Khalife.Speaking to broadcasters in New Delhi, he said:

“This is obviously something that people will be focused on and I want to reassure people the police are working night and day to recapture the individual. Thankfully, these incidents are extremely rare.”

The PM added: “The justice secretary has initiated already an internal inquiry into specific circumstances around his escape. And it would be right to just let that go through so we know exactly what happens.”

Pushed again, Mr Sunak said insisted that it was important to “establish the facts first”, adding: “The detail of what’s happening is being established as I speak by the justice secretary right now.”

Ex-prisoner who escaped US jail says Daniel Abel Khalife will be ‘really terrified’ on run

Friday 8 September 2023 23:00 , Holly Evans

Police stop van Daniel Khalife could have hidden beneath in prison escape

Friday 8 September 2023 22:00 , Holly Evans

This is the moment police stop and search a van detectives believe terror suspect Daniel Khalife clung to the bottom of in his escape from Wandsworth Prison.

The van was stopped by police in Putney, in footage captured by London Face TV.

Foreign secretary declined to comment if confident Khalife would be found

Friday 8 September 2023 21:30 , Holly Evans

Earlier today, foreign secretary James Cleverly declined to comment on whether he was confident that escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife will be found.

“We do have fantastic security services and police services. I don’t think it would be useful or credible for me to to speculate.

“The important thing is that we let the police, the investigators do their work,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain programme.

Timeline of events around hunt for terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Friday 8 September 2023 20:45 , Holly Evans

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife had been in prison for more than seven months before he escaped.

The search for the 21-year-old – featuring help from the Border Force and police officers around the country – is in its third day.

Here is a timeline of the events leading to the hunt for Khalife:

Timeline of events around hunt for terror suspect Daniel Khalife

Prison Officers’ Association chair says escape is example of budget cuts

Friday 8 September 2023 20:20 , Holly Evans

Mark Fairhurst, the national chair of the Prison Officers’ Association, Mark Fairhurst, spoke about the prospect of an “inside job” at Wandsworth prison.

He said he could not rule out corruption or bribery, but paid tribute to the staff at Wandsworth prison.

“We can’t rule anything out, but what I will say about the staff of Wandsworth - they are an amazing group of people doing a fantastic job on behalf of society in extremely stressful and difficult circumstances,” he said.

He pointed to the escape as an example of government underfunding towards prisons.

“It highlights the crisis we are in because of the constant budget cuts by this government since 2010,” he said.

WATCH: CCTV footage of delivery van used in Khalife’s escape

Friday 8 September 2023 19:53 , Holly Evans

The Met Police have released CCTV of the BidFood delivery van used by Daniel Khalife to make his escape

Anarchy revealed inside prison-break Wandsworth jail where inmates call the shots

Friday 8 September 2023 19:08 , Holly Evans

The chief inspector of prisons has revealed the chaos inside the overcrowded Wandsworth jail where inmates tell staff the rules – as questions mount about the “inside help” fugitive Daniel Khalife was given to make his dramatic escape.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Charlie Taylor described “small, dark and cramped” cells plagued with damp and vermin, where inmates are routinely locked up for 22 hours a day with little access to education or training to break the cycle of offending.

Read more here

Police probe ‘inside job’ fears after terror suspect’s prison escape

Met Police say ‘no sign’ of chef uniform being recovered so far in search

Friday 8 September 2023 18:53 , Holly Evans

Counter-terror commander Dominic Murphy denied the force had little to go on in their search for escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

Mr Murphy told Sky News: “I wouldn’t accept that. I would accept that we’re working on lots of leads, over 100 calls, as I say, from the public.

“This is just a next step in us trying to understand and, for Daniel’s information, that he really needs to hand himself in and we will be closing in on him.”

Mr Murphy said there was no sign of Khalife’s chef uniform being recovered so far, but he appealed to the public to call 999 if they find it.

He said he remained “opened minded” on whether the terror suspect had already fled the country, but said the search was currently focused on the London area and other parts of the UK, in addition to support from the Border Force.

Reward offered for information on Khalife

Friday 8 September 2023 18:37 , Holly Evans

Police have confirmed the first sighting of fugitive Daniel Khalife near Wandsworth roundabout and have offered a £20,000 reward.

Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed

Friday 8 September 2023 18:20 , Holly Evans

The chef’s uniform Daniel Abed Khalife was wearing when he escaped Wandsworth Prison has been revealed by police as the nationwide manhunt for the fugitive terror suspect continues.

The former British army soldier fled from HMP Wandsworth at 7.50am on Wednesday by clinging to the straps of a food delivery van while wearing the cook’s uniform he wore to work in the London prison.

Tara Cobham has more

Chef uniform Daniel Khalife escaped prison in is revealed

Terror suspect was seen ‘climbing out from under the lorry’

Friday 8 September 2023 17:47 , Holly Evans

Metropolitan Police counter-terror commander Dominic Murphy said terror suspect Daniel Khalife was seen climbing out from underneath the food company van by a member of the public.

He was wearing his prison chef’s uniform when he was spotted around a mile-and-a-half from Wandsworth Prison. He then made his way towards Wandsworth town centre.

Mr Murphy told Sky News: “That sighting was shortly after Daniel Khalife escaped from Wandsworth Prison, and it was at the junction of Trinity Road and Swandon Way at the Wandsworth roundabout where a member the public saw Daniel climbing out from under the lorry and walking towards Wandsworth town centre.”

He added: “I’m not saying I don’t have any CCTV. That’s part of our ongoing investigation.”

Khalife urged to hand himself in

Friday 8 September 2023 17:30 , Holly Evans

The Met Police have called on Khalife to “hand himself in” and warned that officers were “closing in” on the terror suspect after he escaped prison.

Counter-terror commander Dominic Murphy said: “My message to him is to hand yourself in, either call us or go to a local police station and hand yourself in.

“With the reward we are offering today and the amazing support we have had from the public and the media, we will be closing in on you, Daniel, you really need to come in and give yourself up.”

Full statement from Met Police Commander leading investigation

Friday 8 September 2023 17:27 , Holly Evans

Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This remains a fast-paced and dynamic investigation, but I want the public to know that a large number of officers are working extremely hard to locate Khalife.

“We have now received more than 100 calls from the public, and we thank everyone who has contacted us with information.

“The sighting near Wandsworth Roundabout could be very significant, and this is one of many useful lines of enquiry that officers are perusing.

“We continue to urge the public to contact us straight away if they think they have seen Khalife or have information on his whereabouts.

“We will continue to work closely with all our colleagues in police services across the country and other partners to trace Khalife and bring him back into custody.”

Pictures released of clothes Khalife was wearing to escape

Friday 8 September 2023 17:25 , Holly Evans

The Met Police have released a series of images of the clothes Daniel Khalife was believed to be wearing during his escape.

The terror suspect is understood to have strapped himself to the underside of a BidFood delivery van as it left HMP Wandsworth at 7.32am.

A member of the public has informed the police that a man fitting Khalife’s description was seen walking away from the van towards Wandsworth roundabout.

As he had been working in the kitchens, the former British Army was wearing chef clothing, which includes red and white chequered trousers and a white top.

Met Police offer £20,000 reward for information

Friday 8 September 2023 17:19 , Holly Evans

The Metropolitan Police have offered a reward of £20,000 for information which leads directly to Khalife’s arrest.

In a first sighting of Khalife since his escape, the police said they had received information from a member of the public who said they saw a man fitting Khalife’s description walking away from a BidFood van.

The van had stopped near the south entrance to the Wandsworth Roundabout, at the top of Trinity Road, shortly after his escape. The man was then seen walking towards Wandsworth town centre.

In their latest appeal, the Met said they have opened their UK Image Appeal website which allows people to submit any relevant imagery and video directly to the investigation team.

This includes CCTV, doorbell footage, mobile phone footage, or dash-cam footage.

Possible sighting of Khalife ‘could be very significant’

Friday 8 September 2023 17:12 , Holly Evans

The Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism commander Dominic Murphy said the force is investigating a possible sighting of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife, adding the lead “could be very significant”.

Khalife is said to have been seen escaping from the delivery van at Wandsworth roundabout, shortly after the vehicle left HMP Wandsworth

Police confirm first sighting of fugitive Daniel Khalife

Friday 8 September 2023 17:02 , Holly Evans

The police have confirmed the first official sighting of the escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

The sighting took place on Wednesday morning, shortly after Khalife’s escape from Wandsworth prison.

The witness saw Khalife escape from a lorry at Wandsworth Roundabout, according to the police.

Timeline of Daniel Khalife’s escape

Friday 8 September 2023 16:38 , Holly Evans

Daniel Khalife only had one hour and five minutes to escape before police intercepted the delivery vehicle he was strapped under.

7.32am - A Bidfood delivery vehicle exits the gates of HMP Wandsworth, unaware that Khalife is clinging onto strappings on its underside. It is believed he was wearing a chef’s outfit while working in the prison kitchens.

After leaving the prison, the delivery van turned right onto Heathfield Road and left onto Magdalen Road.

It then travelled left onto Trinity Road before heading up to the Wandsworth Road roundabout. The vehicle then took the first exit to Swandon Way and left onto Old York Road which is near Wandsworth Town train station.

7.50am - Prison guards realise Khalife is missing and the prison goes into an immediate lockdown, with security measures put in place.

8.15am - The Metropolitan Police are alerted to the situation.

Meanwhile, the van has taken a left into Fairfield Street and taken a right onto Wandsworth High Street before heading straight ahead to West Hill which leads up to Upper Richmond Road.

Shortly afterwards, the delivery driver is made aware of the situation and turns around to return to the prison.

8.37am - The vehicle is stopped and searched by police on Upper Richmond Road at the junction with Carlton Drive but Khalife is nowhere to be seen.

Khalife ‘should have been at Belmarsh’, says former prison governor

Friday 8 September 2023 16:25 , Holly Evans

John Podmore, a former governor of Belmarsh, Brixton and Swaleside prisons, told BBC Radio Newcastle he doesn’t understand why Daniel Khalife was at Wandsworth, a category B prison.

“Without a doubt he should have been at Belmarsh” - a category A prison - he says. “It is well-suited to holding terrorist suspects and those convicted of terrorism.”

“It’s also a prison that serves Woolwich Crown Court and this man was due to go there. So the illogic of him going somewhere else baffles me.”

Sunak declines to comment on foreign state involvement

Friday 8 September 2023 16:12 , Holly Evans

The Prime Minister declined to comment on suggestions that there could be foreign state involvement in the escape.

He said: “Because this is an ongoing police investigation, I’m sure you can understand it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to provide a running commentary or detail on it.

“But people should be reassured that police are working around the clock.”

Route taken by Daniel Khalife during escape from Wandsworth prison

Friday 8 September 2023 15:55 , Holly Evans

The route taken by the delivery van that Daniel Khalife was clinging to during his prison break has been revealed by police, as the nationwide manhunt continues.

The 21-year-old terror suspect only had one hour and five minutes from his escape at HMP Wandsworth at 7.32am until police stopped the van on Upper Richmond Road at 8.37am.

Police reveal where Daniel Khalife disappeared after Wandsworth prison escape

Khalife told fellow inmate he was ‘going to be famous’

Friday 8 September 2023 15:43 , Holly Evans

One former inmate, who worked alongside Khalife in the prison’s kitchens, said the escapee had struck him as “odd” and had told him he was “going to be famous”.

Chris Jones, 53, who BBC London reported was released in June after being acquitted following seven months on remand, told the programme: “We always used to joke about that lorry – jump in it and drive off – but there was a lot of security staff around the kitchens so it is a surprise he got through there.”

Sadiq Khan was aware of ‘big problems’ at Wandsworth prison

Friday 8 September 2023 15:33 , Holly Evans

Wandsworth prison’s performance has been rated a “serious concern” and watchdogs issued a string of warnings about the jail in the year before Khalife’s escape..

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said staff shortages are “the source of many problems” and that “in an ideal world” Wandsworth would be shut.

The prison is in the Tooting constituency, which Sadiq Khan represented as an MP for more than a decade until he was elected mayor of London in 2016.

He said he was aware of “big problems” at the jail while he was an MP, including overcrowding and staff shortages, telling PA questions “will need answering” about the “link between government austerity and this man escaping”.

Soldier mentality would help Khalife avoid police search, says retired officer

Friday 8 September 2023 15:26 , Holly Evans

A retired military officer has said that British army-trained soldiers are capable of acting under pressure, and voiced concern on the prospect of Khalife exiting the country.

Giving an insight to the mental state of an army soldier, Major Michael Shearer told Sky News: “Soldiers know how to handle these type [of] pressures.”

“The state of mind that soldiers have... [there] is constantly a part of their being that is thinking: ‘How will I deal with that?’”

Asked if he had faith in Border Force to catch him if he tried to flee the country, Major Shearer said he was worried.

“We’ve got thousands of illegal immigrants coming into the country every day that our border force and other parts of our institutions cannot manage,” he said.

“So how [do they] find one individual on the way out? I’m at a loss to give comment on.”

Police urge witness who claims to have spotted Khalife to come forward

Friday 8 September 2023 15:06 , Holly Evans

The Metropolitan Police have urged a shop assistant to come forward after media reports that he believed he saw on-the-run terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

The eyewitness, who did not wish to be named, told the Telegraph that he had seen a “tall, lanky dude” jumping into a black vehicle outside Wandsworth County Court.

In a statement, the force said: “We are aware of news reports about a shop assistant who believes they saw Daniel Khalife.

“We are trying to identify this man so we can speak with him. We urge him to contact us by calling 999.”

SAS veteran says Khalife could be avoiding cameras by hiding underground

Friday 8 September 2023 15:05 , Holly Evans

Khalife could be hiding underground in an attempt to avoid thermal cameras, SAS veteran Chris Ryan has said.

He told Talk TV that getting hold of clothes would be difficult given Khalife’s 6ft 2in frame, but if he is or was in Richmond Park, he would have had access to water while the weather would have allowed him to stay comfortable outside.

Given the size of the park and its mixture of woodland and overgrown shrubbery, it could provide plenty of hiding spots for the fugitive.

“If he’s had help, he’ll be in a safe house now, so all he’s got to do is lie low for a couple of weeks before making a move,” Mr Ryan said.

He also posed the possibility of Khalife staying in a garden shed that backs on to the park.

‘Reports in the past of prison officers colluding over escape attempts'

Friday 8 September 2023 14:15 , William Mata

An anti-corruption professor has said there have been reports in the past of prison officers colluding over escape attempts.

Robert Barrington, professor of anti-corruption practice at the University of Sussex, said: “Prisons are extremely high risk for corruption in any circumstances in any country.”

“In the UK there have been lots of noises from unions and prison officers of the conditions they are working under,” he added on his slot on BBC Radio 4 programme World At One on Friday.

“The prison servivce since that report has seen the counter corruption unit revamped. But that unit is operating under great pressure.”

He added: “Typically corruption is about smuggling things in but there was a report around five years ago that a bribe of around £5,000 could get you to a more favourable prison.

“There have been reports of corrupt officers colluding in escape attempts in the past.”

‘Not a surprise if there is bribery'

Friday 8 September 2023 14:10 , William Mata

An anti-corruption professor has said he would not be surprised if there was bribery going on in UK prisons behind the scenes.

Robert Barrington, professor of anti-corruption practice at the University of Sussex, said: “Prisons are in a pretty dire state and the few figures we have for corruption in the past few years have not been encouraging.”

Speaking on World At One on BBC Radio 4 he added: “About 15 years there was a leaked Met report which said that there were about 1,000 corrupt police officers. A freedom of information request about six or seven years ago said 150 officers had been disciplined in some way.

“It is hard to quantify the level of corruption.

“Wandsworth itself was said to be the Carphone Warehouse of prisons because of the wide availability of smuggled mobile phones which had been brought in by corrupt staff.

“That was then [in 2015 when the report was made] and austerity has bitten even deeper since then.

“If this was any country in the world you would be asking who was bribed. And it wouldn’t be any surprise if this was happening in the UK.”

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website