New Delhi (Agency): Authorities across the United Kingdom are on high alert after Daniel Abed Khalife, a 21-year-old former British Army soldier, escaped from Wandsworth Prison in south-west London. Khalife was awaiting trial on charges of breaching the UK’s Official Secrets Act. The same prison also holds Nirav Modi, a diamond merchant wanted in India on fraud and money charges.
Khalife reportedly managed to escape by clinging to the undercarriage of a delivery van. The Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command has issued an urgent public appeal for information to help find him. “We have a team of officers who are making extensive and urgent enquiries to locate and detain Khalife as quickly as possible,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
Although Khalife is not believed to pose a direct threat to the public, citizens have been advised not to approach him and to call 999 immediately if he is spotted. The suspect is thought to still be in the UK and is believed to have connections to the Kingston area in south-west London.
The escape has raised concerns about security at Wandsworth Prison, prompting UK Justice Secretary Alex Chalk to call a meeting with the prison’s governor to review safety measures. Wandsworth Prison is a category B men’s prison, which is a level below high-security prisons in the country.
Nirav Modi, 52, has been held in this prison since March 2019 on an extradition warrant. His extradition was approved in 2021, but several appeals have delayed his return to India. Modi is wanted for a fraud case on Punjab National Bank in India, causing losses equivalent to over GBP 700 million. His lawyers have raised concerns about his mental health and the harsh conditions he faces in Wandsworth Prison.