A manhunt has been launched for a British soldier awaiting trial on terrorism-related charges who escaped from a prison in southwest London, according to the United Kingdom’s Counter Terrorism Policing force.
Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, went missing from Wandsworth prison, in the southwest of the British capital, shortly before 8 a.m. local time. He had been awaiting trial for terror offenses and alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act.
Khalife is a serving member of the British army. He is accused of planting fake bombs at a military base, according to the PA Media news agency.
Mr Khalife was wearing red and white checked trousers, a white T-shirt and brown steel toe cap boots when he allegedly strapped himself to the underside of a van that was leaving the prison.
With known links to Kingston in London, he was based at the Ministry of Defence’s Stafford military base while serving, which is also known as Beacon Barracks.
However, he was charged with terror offences and charges relating to the Official Secrets Act earlier this year, after he was accused of carrying out a bomb hoax at the RAF base.
Khalife had initially been arrested in January 2022 on suspicion of a separate offence but was bailed before being re-arrested following an investigation by Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command.
The former soldier has denied all charges against him and is due to face a six-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court on 13 November.
Who’s he?
Khalife was a computer network engineer with the Royal Corps of Signals, the British Army’s communications arm, of whom Princess Anne has been Colonel-in-Chief since 1977.
The Royal Signals have been deployed in every Army operation since the corps’ establishment in 1920, and are described by the Ministry of Defence as “leaders in IT, Cyber and Telecommunications, providing battle-winning communications to every part of the Army”.
Those in the Royal Signals “are trained to become experts in engineering and operating systems, networks and cyber equipment”, the Army website adds.
Regiments stationed at Beacon Barracks include the 1st Signal Regiment and 16th Signal Regiment, which deliver information and comms to the armoured brigades’ headquarters and the satellite link to communicate back to the UK, and the 22nd Signal Regiment, which serves Nato’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Headquarters.
