CNN
—
Officers from London’s Metropolitan Police have found and arrested Daniel Khalife, the force announced Saturday, marking the end of a three-day manhunt for the terror suspect who escaped from prison on Wednesday.
“Metropolitan Police officers have arrested Daniel Khalife, who escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday 6 September,” the police statement said.
Khalife was apprehended just before 11 a.m. local time (6 a.m. ET) on Saturday in the Chiswick area of west London, where search efforts were refocused earlier in the day, the force 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,” the statement added.
The 21-year-old terror suspect’s escape from Wandsworth Prison on Wednesday sparked a sprawling search that delayed flights and led to heightened checks at British ports.
A serving member of the British military, Khalife was in prison awaiting trial on terror charges over allegedly planting fake bombs at a military base, according to the UK’s PA Media news agency. He denied the three charges against him, the news agency said.
Khalife escaped the prison by strapping himself to the underside of a delivery van while dressed as a chef. By the time police tracked down the truck, two miles east of the prison, Khalife was gone and all that remained of his escape was the strapping officers discovered under the van.
The incident prompted criticism of the prison service and the government, and has led to the launch of an independent investigation.
This is a developing story, more to follow.
