Daniel Khalife: Terror suspect may have used ‘bed sheets’ to escape, court hears

Daniel Khalife has been accused of escaping from HMP Wandsworth by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery vehicle using a material “which may have been from bed sheets”.

Prosecutor Thomas Williams said the 21-year-old is accused of “using the strap to support himself to escape”. He appeared in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday (September 11) after being charged with escaping from custody at HMP Wandsworth.

Flanked by two police officers and one dock officer, the 21-year-old entered the courtroom wearing a grey jumper and jogging bottoms.

Metropolitan Police said Khalife, who escaped HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday (September 6), was arrested on Saturday (September 9) on suspicion of being unlawfully at large and being an escaped prisoner.

Ahead of the arrest, officers conducted an “intelligence-led search at residential premises” in the Richmond area. While Khalife was not found there, the force received a number of calls from the public with sightings of the suspect nearby.

He was arrested in the London suburb of Northolt after four days on the run. After a mass search over land and sea, the 21-year-old was captured at 10.41am on Saturday after being pulled from a push bike by a plain-clothed counter terrorism officer.

Prior to his alleged escape, Khalife had been on remand at Wandsworth Prison after being charged with terror offences in January. Before a short hearing, he appeared in the dock flanked by two police officers and a dock officer.

Detailing the allegation against the defendant, prosecutor Thomas Williams said the former soldier is alleged to have escaped on the underside of a food delivery vehicle. Mr Williams said Khalife is accused of strapping himself to the lorry using “material which may have been from bed sheets”.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram told the defendant he will next appear at the Old Bailey on September 29.