The British government may have promised that Daniel Abed Khalife, prosecuted for “terrorist offences”, will be arrested and tried, but for more than twenty-four hours, this ex-British soldier has been in the wild. His escape aboard a delivery truck, without anyone noticing, sparked a nationwide manhunt and sparked shock and questions about the prison system.
The 21-year-old is suspected of collecting intelligence that could be used by terrorists or enemies of the UK. According to several media, including the BBC, he is suspected of having acted for the benefit of Iran. Daniel Khalife is being prosecuted for facts dating back to January and August 2021, at a Royal Air Force base in Strafford, in central England. He is accused of obtaining or attempting to obtain information “about an individual who was or has been a member” of the British Army, “likely to be of use to a person committing or planning an act of terrorism”. . He is also being prosecuted for a false bomb threat on January 2. He denies the accusations against him.
Under a delivery truck
According to the sequence of events made public by the authorities, the absence of the inmate was reported almost twenty minutes after a vehicle left London’s Wandsworth prison on Wednesday September 6 around 7:30 a.m. local time (8:30 a.m. in Paris). ) after making a delivery to the kitchens. Straps were found under the vehicle, suggesting he was strapped into it.
Despite an escape that took place in the heart of London, no report was recorded Thursday evening, said the police of the capital, of which more than 150 agents are dedicated to the investigation, in addition to the alert of all the forces of the country.
For fear of seeing the fugitive leave the country, security was reinforced at airports and ports, leading to the temporary closure of exits from the motorway in the south-east of England which leads to the cross-Channel port of Dover, allowing in particular to join France.
Wandsworth, 19th century prison
Faced with the multitude of questions raised by this escape, the Minister of Justice announced several investigations into the level of security at Wandsworth prison and the decision to imprison Daniel Khalife there.
Labor MP Rosena Allin-Khan denounced in Parliament the inadequate and dangerous working conditions of prison staff in this establishment, citing insufficient staff. The opposition wonders about the presence in this reputedly dilapidated prison dating from the 19th century, and not in a high security establishment, of this prisoner prosecuted for charges relating to national security. She pointed out that Wandsworth Prison was of particular concern because of understaffing, which reached 30% of staff when last checked two years ago.
Downing Street has rejected any government responsibility for staffing problems, saying it has hired 4,000 people for the prison system since 2017 and is planning an additional 5,000 positions, in addition to investment in opening 20,000 places for prisoners .
Wandsworth Prison was once the scene of one of the country’s most famous escapes, that of Ronnie Biggs in 1965, who was serving a thirty-year sentence for the attack on the Glasgow-London mail train two years ago previously. After making out with a rope ladder, he lived abroad for thirty-six years, notably in Australia and Brazil, before being arrested in 2001 upon his voluntary return to the United Kingdom . Released on medical grounds in 2009, he died in 2013.