Daniel Khalife: Police confirm sighting of Wandsworth prison fugitive

The Met Police are offering a £20,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of Daniel Abed Khalife, as detectives investigate a sighting of him near Wandsworth Roundabout.

The 21-year-old former soldier and terrorism suspect escaped from Wandsworth Prison on Wednesday morning.

A manhunt led by the Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Command involving more than 150 officers and staff is currently underway.

This included search activity at Richmond Park overnight into the early hours of Friday, September 8.

Detectives have received information from a member of the public who said they saw a man fitting Khalife’s description walking away from a BidFood van that 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.

This is one of several key lines of enquiry that officers are pursuing.

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 pursuing.

“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.”

Khalife was declared missing at 7.50am on September 6. The Met was notified at 8.15am and took immediate action to track down a delivery van that had left the prison.

At 8.37am, police officers stopped the van in Upper Richmond Road, near the junction with Carlton Drive. Officers spoke to the driver and carried out a thorough search . Police discovered strapping on the underside of the van.

Police believe Khalife was hiding underneath the van and used this strapping as part of his escape.

The Met says it has been able to clarify the route taken by the delivery van after it left Wandsworth prison.

It says it had previously given details of the route based on GPS data detectives had obtained from the vehicle - which they believe Khalife used to escape from prison.

“As a result of further CCTV enquiries, we can clarify that the van took the following route upon leaving Wandsworth prison.

“After exiting Wandsworth Roundabout onto Swandon Road, the van remained on the road until turning left onto Fairfield Street.”

A reward of up to £20,000 is now being offered for information which leads directly to the arrest of Khalife.

To report a live sighting of Khalife, or information which is urgent, please call 999. Alternatively, anyone with information which might assist the ongoing enquiry can call police on 101.