London Metropolitan Police have issued an urgent appeal to the public to locate a man who escaped from a London prison this Wednesday morning. He is a 21-year-old member of the British army, accused of placing a fake bomb at an air base and prosecuted for a terrorist crime.
The escapee's name is Daniel Abed Khalife and he was being held in Wandsworth Prison awaiting trial. According to the police, he escaped around 7:50 a.m. (local time). Investigators believe that he is probably still in London, without ruling out that he may already be somewhere else.
Abed Khalife is being prosecuted for acts dating back to January and August 2021, at a Royal Air Force base in Strafford, central England.
The man is accused of having obtained or attempted to obtain information "about an individual who was or has been a member" of the British Army "that could be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism" in August 2021.
He is also being prosecuted for false bomb threat, and having "placed an object with the intent to make another person believe that said object could explode" on January 2. At the same time, he is accused of having placed "three cans with wires" on the base.
Regarding search and capture, Dominic Murphy, head of London police's counter-terrorism command, has been reassuring, saying investigators have "no information" to indicate he poses a threat to the public. However, he has also indicated that "if anyone sees Khalife or has any information about where she might be, please call 999 [the British emergency number] immediately."
