Terror suspect who escaped from prison 'laughed' as he was arrested

A terror suspect who escaped prison has spent the night in police custody after being arrested in a London suburb – ending 75 hours on the run.

Daniel Khalife reportedly laughed as he was apprehended in Northolt on Saturday morning – not long after a plain-clothes police officer pulled him off a bike on a canal towpath.

Footage obtained by The Sun newspaper showed the 21-year-old sat in handcuffs next to a sleeping bag and a Waitrose cool bag.

The former solder went missing from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, and had been spotted walking towards Wandsworth town centre the same day. Police had further confirmed sightings of him in Chiswick on Friday night.

Detectives had also scoured Richmond Park, which is not far from the category B prison – and had performed an “intelligence-led search at a residential premises” in the Richmond area.

According to the Metropolitan Police, he has been arrested on suspicion of being unlawfully at large – and being an escaped prisoner.

Commander Dominic Murphy described the search for Khalife as “extremely complicated” and said officers did well to capture the “resourceful” prisoner within 75 hours.

Mr Murphy said the public had been “integral” to the search, and more than 100 calls were made to police with information.

Frank Noon, who was running in the area early on Saturday morning, told Sky News that he had seen Khalife “lying on his back” as he jogged along the river.

He said: “It was only when I saw him three hours later and he was wearing the same clothes that I thought that’s weird.”

Khalife was working in the prison kitchen and was wearing a cook’s uniform when he disappeared. He is believed to have held on to straps on the underside of the truck to make his escape.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “very pleased” Khalife has been arrested and praised efforts by the police and the public in finding him.

The police had offered a reward of £20,000 for information leading to his arrest, but this is yet to be claimed.

It is unclear whether the inmate will be returned to Wandsworth or housed in a higher-security location.

Khalife is a former member of the Royal Signals, who was based at Beacon Barracks in Stafford.

He was on remand awaiting trial accused of leaving fake bombs at a military base, a charge under the Terrorism Act and another under the Official Secrets Act, which alleges he committed “an act prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state”.

He was discharged from the army in May and appeared at the Old Bailey via video link in July, denying the charges against him.

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