On-the-run terror suspect Daniel Khalife was caught after being pulled off a push-bike by a plain-clothed officer, police in the UK have said.
Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism boss Commander Dominic Murphy told reporters the 21-year-old former soldier, who escaped HMP Wandsworth four days ago, was arrested on suspicion of being unlawfully at large and being an escaped prisoner.
He was apprehended just before 11am on Saturday on a canal towpath in west London and is now in police custody, the force said.
Speaking about the investigation, Mr Murphy said: “It’s been about 75 hours since he went missing from the prison to the point of his arrest. That’s pretty quick given the challenge of trying to find this individual.
“He was arrested yesterday for being unlawfully at large and for being an escaped prisoner.
“In terms of the investigation, it really gathered momentum yesterday afternoon, with a number of calls from the public, but really took a different course last night, when we did an intelligence-led search in the Richmond area in the early hours of this morning.
“Whilst we didn’t find him at that search, while we were at that search, we had a number of calls from the public over the next hour or two, giving us various sightings of him.”
Addressing the arrest, Mr Murphy said after he was pulled off the push-bike, Khalife was “fully cooperative and handcuffed and arrested”.
He said: “At 10.41am he was arrested in Rowdell Road in UB5 in London on the canal towpath.
“He was actually arrested by a plain clothes officer… and he was riding a pedal cycle, so a pushbike, at the time, was pulled off that pushbike by that officer and arrested at that location.
“Upon being detained by the officer he was fully co-operative and handcuffed and arrested.”
British prime minister Rishi Sunak said he was “very pleased” Khalife has been arrested as he praised efforts by the police and the public in finding him.
Officers were seen checking people’s gardens, stopping cars, inspecting car boots and asking residents for their IDs throughout the morning.
