Current:Home > ScamsPolice search a huge London park for a terrorism suspect who escaped from prison-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Police search a huge London park for a terrorism suspect who escaped from prison
View Date:2024-12-23 16:38:30
LONDON (AP) — British police scoured a huge London park on Friday for an ex-soldier who escaped from prison while awaiting trial on terrorism charges.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the search of Richmond Park in the city’s southwest, which involved two helicopters and officers on the ground, was connected to the hunt for Daniel Abed Khalife. The 21-year-old slipped out of Wandsworth Prison on Wednesday morning while working in the kitchen, apparently by clinging to the underside of a food-delivery truck, police said.
Khalife is accused of planting fake bombs at a military base and of violating Britain’s Official Secrets Act by gathering information “that could be useful to an enemy.”
He was discharged from the British army after his arrest earlier this year and had denied the allegations. His trial is set for November.
His escape has prompted extra security checks at airports and the Port of Dover, the main boat crossing from England to France. But activity focused on Richmond Park, 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares) of woods and grassland about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Wandsworth Prison. The park is home to more than 630 red and fallow deer who have roamed freely since 1637.
Metropolitan Police counterterrorism commander Dominic Murphy said there had been no confirmed sightings of Khalife since his escape and described the prisoner as “very resourceful.”
“He was a trained soldier — so ultimately he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public don’t have,” Murphy said.
Opposition politicians demanded to know how Khalife managed to escape from the medium-security prison and why he was not being held at a maximum-security facility. The Conservative government has said there will be an independent investigation.
The Met’s top policeman, Commissioner Mark Rowley, said the prison escape was “clearly pre-planned” and potentially an “inside job.”
He told LBC radio: “Did anyone inside the prison help him? Other prisoners, guard staff? Was he helped by people outside the walls or was it simply all of his own creation?”
veryGood! (26211)
Related
- Congress returns to unfinished business and a new Trump era
- Run To American Eagle & Aerie for Styles up to 90% Off, Plus Deals on Bodysuits, Tops & More as Low as $3
- Let’s remember these are kids: How to make the Little League World Series more fun
- New York temporarily barred from taking action against groups for promoting abortion pill ‘reversal’
- Disney Store's Black Friday Sale Just Started: Save an Extra 20% When You Shop Early
- Sky's Angel Reese grabs 20 rebounds for second straight game, joins Shaq in record books
- JD Vance said Tim Walz lied about IVF. What to know about IVF and IUI.
- Jennifer Garner Steps Out With Boyfriend John Miller Amid Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Divorce
- Man is 'not dead anymore' after long battle with IRS, which mistakenly labeled him deceased
- Dump truck leaves hole in covered bridge when it crashes into river in Maine
Ranking
- To Protect the Ozone Layer and Slow Global Warming, Fertilizers Must Be Deployed More Efficiently, UN Says
- Delaware election officials communicated with lieutenant governor’s office amid finance scandal
- American Hockey League mandates neck guards to prevent cuts from skate blades
- Tony Vitello lands record contract after leading Tennessee baseball to national title
- 'I know how to do math': New Red Lobster CEO says endless shrimp deal is not coming back
- Justin and Hailey Bieber welcome a baby boy, Jack Blues
- The surprising story behind how the Beatles went viral in 1964
- Jennifer Garner Steps Out With Boyfriend John Miller Amid Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Divorce
Recommendation
-
How Ben Affleck Really Feels About His and Jennifer Lopez’s Movie Gigli Today
-
Simone Biles Shows Off New Six-Figure Purchase: See the Upgrade
-
How smart are spiders? They zombify their firefly prey: 'Bloody amazing'
-
JD Vance said Tim Walz lied about IVF. What to know about IVF and IUI.
-
2 weeks after Peanut the Squirrel's euthanasia, owner is seeking answers, justice
-
You'll Flip for Shawn Johnson and Andrew East's 2024 Olympics Photo Diary
-
Jennifer Garner Steps Out With Boyfriend John Miller Amid Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Divorce
-
Rapper Enchanting's Cause of Death Revealed