UK soldier accused of terrorism on the run in London after prison escape, police say

A serving member of the British Army awaiting trial on terrorism charges and for allegedly breaking the Official Secrets Act has escaped from prison, local police say.

Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, is thought to have absconded from Wandsworth prison in south London this morning.

An undated handout photo released by Britain’s Metropolitan Police in London on September 6, 2023, shows Daniel Khalife who has escaped from HMP Wandsworth prison. (Photo by Metropolitan Police / AFP)

He appeared in court in London on January 28 and was remanded in custody over two incidents at the Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Stafford, central England, near the army barracks where he lived.

Khalife is accused of “attempting to elicit information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism” in August 2021.

He was also charged with a bomb hoax by placing a suspect device at the RAF base on January 2 this year.

The Metropolitan Police says in a statement that he is likely to still be in the London area, although they do not rule out the option that he has traveled outside of the British capital.

They advise the public not to approach him and to call police immediately.

“We have no information which indicates, nor any reason to believe that Khalife poses a threat to the wider public,” says Dominic Murphy, the head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.