UK police arrest escaped terrorism suspect

LONDON: A former British soldier suspected of terrorism offences who escaped from jail earlier this week was recaptured in London on Saturday, police stated.Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, absconded from London’s Wandsworth jail on Wednesday morning after slipping out of the jail kitchen the place he was working and strapping himself to the underside of a meals supply truck.”Officers apprehended him simply earlier than 11:00 am (1000 GMT) hrs as we speak … within the Chiswick space (of west London) and he’s at present in police custody,” a police assertion stated.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, chatting with reporters on the G20 gathering in New Delhi, thanked the police and the general public for his or her assist in discovering Khalife.Khalife, who was discharged from the British military in Might, was being held in jail forward of trial on offences regarding terrorism and the Official Secrets and techniques Act.He’s accused of eliciting or making an attempt to elicit info prone to be helpful to an individual making ready an act of terrorism whereas he was primarily based at barracks in central England in 2021, and staging a bomb hoax by inserting three canisters with wires on a desk.He’s additionally charged with acquiring info which may be “straight or not directly helpful to an enemy”. The BBC has reported he was accused of gathering intelligence for Iran.Opposition lawmakers have demanded solutions into how Khalife had been capable of escape and why he was not being held at a most safety jail. There are additionally questions concerning the jail’s staffing and safety procedures.The hunt to trace down Khalife meant enhanced safety checks at UK ports and airports which have led to delays for passengers.