LONDON: UK police on Saturday arrested suspect accused of “terror offences” who escaped from a London prison earlier this week, sparking a nationwide manhunt.

“Metropolitan Police officers have arrested Daniel Khalife. Officers apprehended him just before 11am today in the Chiswick area, and he is currently in police custody,” the force said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, currently in India at the G20 summit, told UK media he was “very pleased with the news”. “My thanks to the police officers for their fantastic work over the past couple of days,” he added.

The 21-year-old former soldier fled from Wandsworth prison in south London on Wednes­day morning, probably by clinging to the bottom of a delivery van. His disappearance triggered a major hunt with extra security checks introduced at ports and airports amid fears he may try to flee the country.

But following confirmed sightings in southwest London, he was eventually apprehended in the Chiswick neighbourhood on Saturday.

Hours before his arrest, police issued an appeal for members of the public to “remain vigilant”, saying that Khalife was believed to be wearing a black baseball cap, black T-shirt, and dark-coloured bottoms while carrying a small bag or case.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2023