Daniel Abed Khalife: ‘Strapping’ found under van in hunt for fugitive ex-soldier after Wandsworth Prison escape
A fugitive ex-soldier is believed to have escaped from prison by tying himself to the underside of a food truck.
Details have started to emerge of how terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife fled HMP Wandsworth, with Justice Secretary Alex Chalk revealing “strapping” was found underneath the vehicle.
The 21-year-old was working in the kitchen and was wearing a chef’s uniform, and is thought to have hidden beneath the food delivery van and held on to the straps to make his escape.
Read more: Motorway closed amid hunt for prisoner on the run – latest on manhunt
Daniel Khalife
Sky News understands Bidfood is the delivery firm involved.
In a statement the company said: “Yesterday morning we were made aware of a security incident involving one of our vehicles, whilst out on delivery.
“We can confirm that our driver fully cooperated with the police on this matter before returning back to the depot. We will continue to assist the authorities in their ongoing investigation.”
Outlining to MPs in the Commons what happened at HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, Mr Chalk said the truck left the category B men’s prison at 7.30am after making a delivery to the kitchen.
“Shortly afterwards, local contingency plans for an unaccounted prisoner were activated and in line with standard procedure the police were informed,” the cabinet minister said.
The prison was locked down while staff attempted to determine Khalife’s whereabouts.
The food truck was stopped and searched by police after the alert was raised.
“Strapping was found underneath the vehicle which appeared to indicate that Daniel Khalife may have held onto the underside of it in order to escape,” said Mr Chalk.
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How prisoner’s escape unfolded
M20 stretch shuts due to manhunt
He ended his statement by saying a manhunt is under way and Khalife “will be found” – as he announced an independent investigation into the escape.
It will include two urgent reviews, the first focusing on the “placement and categorisation” of all inmates at the jail, while a second will investigate all those people in custody currently charged with terror offences.
Khalife was on remand at the south London prison – awaiting trial accused of leaving fake bombs at a military base, and other charges relating to the Official Secrets Act.
It is feared the former member of the Royal Signals – who was based at Beacon Barracks in Stafford – may have fled the country.
His disappearance has prompted extra security checks at major UK airports and ports including Manchester, Gatwick, Heathrow and Dover.
Kent Police confirmed on Thursday the M20 was shut between junctions 8 and 9 due to the “enhanced security checks” – and to allow freight heading for mainland Europe to queue on the empty section of the motorway.
Labour’s Shabana Mahmood urged Mr Chalk to “get a grip” of the criminal justice system.
The shadow justice secretary said: “It simply beggars belief that a man being held on suspected terror charges was able to escape a prison by clinging to the bottom of a food delivery van.”
Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said staff shortages are “the source of many problems” at HMP Wandsworth, adding: “Something obviously went wrong in terms of security, and that will come out over time.”
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M20 closed as ’emergency measure’
‘Prisoner may look for burns treatment’
The head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, Commander Dominic Murphy, has said there is “no reason to believe Khalife poses a threat to the wider public” but urged people not to approach him and to call 999 if they spot him.
He has links to northwest England and Kingston in London but Mr Murphy said the manhunt covers the whole of the UK.
Khalife was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, red and white chequered trousers and brown, steel toe-cap boots, the Metropolitan Police said. He is described as slim and 6ft 2in, with short brown hair.
Former Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley said Khalife may have suffered burns after clinging on to the underside of the food van and seek treatment – and urged pharmacies to keep a lookout.
He told Sky News: “Clinging to the bottom of a vehicle, if it’s got a petrol or diesel combustion engine, it is a pretty risky thing to do, not only because of course you can lose your grip and fall on a roadway, but exhaust systems, which generally speaking run the entire length of a vehicle like that, get incredibly hot.
“The slightest touch of that exhaust system will leave you with a vey unpleasant burn.
“So I would suggest to anybody who works in a chemist or pharmacy or shops where medical supplies are sold – just keep your eyes out today if somebody comes in asking for advice on how to treat burns, and sourcing bandages… and the like.”
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Escaped prisoner ‘may look for burn treatment’
The charges
Khalife appeared at the Old Bailey via video link in July to deny a charge of breaching the Official Secrets Act, which alleges he committed “an act prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state”.
It states that between 1 May 2019 and 6 January 2022 he “obtained, collected, recorded, published or communicated to any other person articles, notes, documents or information which were calculated to be or might be or were intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy”.
Read more:
What life is like at HMP Wandsworth
Why wasn’t he banged up in Belmarsh?
What we know about terror suspect
He also denied a charge under the Terrorism Act that alleges he “elicited information about individuals who are members of His Majesty’s forces” on 2 August 2021.
The charge relates to him allegedly “obtaining personal information from the MoD Joint Personnel Administration system of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.
Khalife further pleaded not guilty to carrying out a bomb hoax on or before 2 January.
It is claimed he placed “three canisters with wires on a desk in his accommodation” with the intention of inducing in another a belief this was “likely to explode or ignite and thereby cause personal injury or damage to property”.
He is due to face a six-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court from 13 November.
UK
MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace steps down as Kirsty Wark among 13 who claim he made inappropriate sexual jokes
MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has stepped down over allegations he made a series of inappropriate sexual comments on a range of programmes over 17 years.
Broadcaster Kirsty Wark is among 13 people who have made claims, with Wallace being investigated by MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK.
In an interview with the BBC, the Newsnight presenter, who was a celebrity contestant on MasterChef in 2011, claimed Wallace used “sexualised language”.
“There were two occasions in particular where he used sexualised language in front of a number of people and it wasn’t as if it was anyone engaged with this,” Wark said.
“It was completely one-way traffic. I think people were uncomfortable and something that I really didn’t expect to happen.”
Sky News has contacted Wallace’s representative for comment.
Kirsty Wark. File pic: PA
‘Fully cooperating’
Banijay UK said the complaints were made to the BBC this week by “individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with Gregg Wallace on one of our shows”.
The company said the 60-year-old, who has been a co-presenter and judge of the popular cooking show since 2005, was “committed to fully cooperating throughout the process”.
“Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate,” the company said.
“While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process.
“Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
“Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
A BBC spokesman said: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.
“We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
“Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.”
Previous investigation
Last month, Wallace responded to reports that a previous BBC review had found he could continue working at the corporation following reports of an alleged incident in 2018 when he appeared on Impossible Celebrities.
Wallace said those claims had been investigated “promptly” at the time and said he had not said “anything sexual” while appearing on the game show more than half a decade ago.
In an Instagram post following an article in The Sun newspaper, he wrote: “The story that’s hitting the newspapers was investigated promptly when it happened six years ago by the BBC.
“And the outcome of that was that I hadn’t said anything sexual. I’ll need to repeat this again. I didn’t say anything sexual.”
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Alongside MasterChef, Wallace presented Inside The Factory for BBC Two from 2015.
Wallace and Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2014. Pic: PA
Wallace has featured on various BBC shows over the years, including Saturday Kitchen, Eat Well For Less, Supermarket Secrets, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals, as well as being a Strictly Come Dancing contestant in 2014.
He was made an MBE for services to food and charity last year.
Recorded episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals featuring Wallace will be transmitted as planned, the PA news agency understands.
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