Terror suspect Daniel Khalife was Saturday arrested in west London after a four-day manhunt, police have said.
Scotland Yard said the 21-year-old former soldier was detained just before 11:00 BST in the Chiswick area – about four miles from Wandsworth prison, from where he escaped on Wednesday.
Overnight, there were confirmed sightings of him in the area.
The Met had been reviewing CCTV footage and using a helicopter to search areas in west and south-west London.
The force said Mr Khalife is currently in police custody.
He is accused of trying to spy for an enemy state, understood to be Iran, obtaining information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, and plotting a fake bomb hoax.
Mr Khalife was at Wandsworth on remand pending a trial in November after being denied bail at a court hearing in January.
His escape began in the kitchens of the prison – where he held a job – after he attached himself to the underside of a food delivery lorry.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “very pleased” Daniel Khalife had been arrested, praising police officers and the public for their efforts in finding him.
Speaking at the G20 summit in Delhi, the PM added: “The justice secretary has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances of his escape and that work will continue.”
What is Daniel Khalife accused of?
Daniel Abed Khalife joined the Army in 2019 and was based at MoD Stafford – also known as Beacon Barracks – when he disappeared on 2 January after an alleged bomb hoax.
A later court hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard he allegedly planted fake devices “with the intention of inducing in another the belief the item was likely to explode or ignite”.
He was arrested “in or near his car” on 26 January after “active efforts to look for him”, a court heard. He was placed in Wandsworth two days later.
Mr Khalife was due to appear in court on 13 November to face charges including preparing an act of terrorism, and collecting information useful to an enemy – an offence under the Official Secrets Act.
He denied the charges against him at the Old Bailey in July.
By BBC
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