Daniel Khalife live: Police to examine whether prison guards helped terror suspect escape

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said police will examine whether Daniel Khalife was helped to flee Wandsworth prison by its own guards in an investigation into his escape.

Sir Mark said investigators will explore the possibility Khalife was helped by fellow inmates as his break from jail was “clearly pre-planned”.

Asked if police are looking into whether Khalife’s escape was an “inside job”, Sir Mark said: “It is a question. 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?”

Speaking to LBC’s Nick Ferrari, Sir Mark Rowley added it was “odd” Daniel Khalife was not held in a maximum security prison.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has demanded answers as to why Khalife was placed in HMP Wandsworth - a Category B jail - with the preliminary findings of an investigation expected today.

Daniel Khalife’s mother and sister are understood to have lived in a flat on the edge of Richmond Park until a few years ago, Sky News has reported.

It has been reported the fugitive has links to southwest London, where police are carrying out searches for him on Friday morning.

Sky News correspondent Milena Veselinovic said: “He grew up in the area, his mother and his sister are believed to have lived in a flat on the edge of Richmond Park until a few years ago,” she said.

Helicopters were flown above the park in the early hours as police officers manned entry and exit points.

The BBC is reporting that enhanced checks at Britain’s border points are likely to continue throughout the weekend as the manhunt for Daniel Khalife enters its third day.

On Thursday, Kent Police closed a section of the M20 motorway and the Port of Dover warned passengers to expect delays after an alert was issued on Wednesday following Khalife’s release.

According to the BBC, boots of cars are likely to be examined this weekend in case the fugitive attempts to stow away out of the country. 

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said it is “odd” Daniel Khalife was not held in a maximum security prison.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has demanded answers as to why Khalife was placed in HMP Wandsworth - a Category B jail - with the preliminary findings of an investigation expected today.

Speaking to LBC, Sir Mark said the escape was “pre-planned” and added investigators are looking at whether Khalife received help before he fled on Wednesday.

An innocent man who was mistaken for fugitive terror suspect Daniel Khalife has told how he was “lucky” after he was detained by police at a train station in Oxfordshire.

Video footage circulated on social media showed officers from Thames Valley Police appearing to arrest a man at Banbury station on Thursday after a member of the public reported he matched Khalife’s description.

However, he was quickly released after police discovered he was not the 21-year-old escapee who sparked a nationwide manhunt after fleeing Wandsworth prison on Wednesday.

Last night, a man, whose name is Horatio according to his Twitter handle, claimed he was questioned by police but released after finger scans proved his innocence.

He tweeted: “Hi everyone, just made this acc to explain what happened today. A woman mistook me for Daniel Khalife, and alerted the police. After about 20 mins of questions (and some gd banter) i proved I wasn’t the escapee after a finger print scan. Honeslty crazy how much this has blown up

”Just wanna clarify that when it comes to situations like these that I don’t really have any stance on police. I’m neither for or against. I try not to get political. Mistakes happen, and either I was lucky that things went smoothly, or maybe privileged, or even both. I don’t know.”

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: “It was thought to be Daniel Khalife, but it wasn’t him.”

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Thursday that no sightings of Khalife had yet been reported and that detectives believed it was most likely he remained in the capital.

A Metropolitan Police statement said: “We are aware of a man being stopped by police in the Banbury area earlier today. We have liaised with colleagues in Thames Valley and confirmed the man in question is not Daniel Khalife.”

Telegraph reporter Steve Bird is at Richmond Park this morning but says there are no signs of police activity.

He said the southern Sheen Gate remained open with scores of cyclists and dog walkers entering and exiting the royal park.

Kingston Gate also remained open on Friday morning, with the nearby car park full of dog walkers. There was no police presence visible there either.

Commander Dominic Murphy, who is leading the investigation, said in a press conference on Thursday the fact Khalife had remained at large for so long was “testament to his ingenuity” and his military training.

“This was a really busy area of London and we’ve had no confirmed sightings in any of that information, which is a little unusual, and perhaps testament to Daniel Khalife’s ingenuity in his escape and some of his movements after his escape,” he said.

“It’s important that we remember that we have some of the best military in the world here in the UK and he was trained.

“He was a trained soldier - so ultimately he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public don’t have.”

Police searching for the fugitive terror suspect Daniel Khalife have scoured Richmond Park, as two helicopters carried out an overhead search for the former soldier.

Officers were stationed at the park’s entry and exit points on Friday morning, as the manhunt continues for the 21-year-old who escaped Wandsworth prison on Wednesday.

The royal park is just a few miles from the Category B prison where Khalife fled in a chef’s uniform after he clung to the underside of a delivery lorry.

Police confirmed on Thursday that no sightings of Khalife had been reported, but detectives believe it is likely he has remained in London.

The Telegraph is launching a live blog on the hunt for Daniel Khalife after police carried out searches of Richmond Park in the early hours of Friday morning.

Helicopters searched the royal park from the skies and officers were stationed outside entry and exit points. The manhunt for Khalife has now entered its third day.

For all the latest developments follow our live coverage.