Featured Image Credit: Met Police/Sky News
Topics: UK News, Crime, Daniel Khalife
Rhiannon Ingle
Terror suspect Daniel Khalife's mum has broken her silence and begged her son to get help.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed Khalife's arrest on Saturday (9 September) following a four-day manhunt for the suspect after he escaped from HMP Wandsworth on 6 September.
The former soldier is believed to have escaped from the prison by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery van after disguising himself in a cook's uniform.
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Sightings of Khalife had been reported in the area prior to his arrest just before 11am by police in Chiswick.
"Officers apprehended him just before 11am today in the Chiswick area, and he is currently in police custody," the police said in a statement.
"We thank the public and media for their support with info & appeals."
They added: "We would like to thank the public and media for their support throughout our investigation to locate Khalife, and we will provide a further update on his arrest in due course."
Since then, the 21-year-old's mother, Farnaz Khalife, has claimed her son suffered from mental health problems and 'does not think like a normal person'.
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Ms Khalife, a former nurse who raised her son in Kingston-upon-Thames, southwest London, also said her son 'doesn't live in reality'.
She told the Times that Khalife had suffered from various episodes of mental illness since being a teen but he had managed to join the military after attending the Army Foundation College in Harrogate at 16 years old.
Ms Khalife explained: "I told him to go to the army doctor to get help but I don’t think he did.
"I am just worried about Dan, he’s always in my mind, I just want to help him. When he was arrested, he laughed and winked, that’s not normal."
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She continued: "I feel helpless. This is not reality, it is a fantasy. He doesn’t think like a normal person."
Ms Khalife revealed she previously urged her son to seek psychiatric help but believes he never did.
"It doesn’t sound like he was getting help at all," she went on. "His problems were not being taken seriously."
The escape sparked a search for Khalife, who has been accused of spying for an enemy state believed to be Iran according to the BBC, as well as plotting a fake bomb hoax.
Khalife has denied all charges.
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Prior to his initial arrest in January, Khalife had served in the British Army since 2018, working in the Royal Signals as a computer network engineer.