Terror suspect Daniel Khalife pleads not guilty to escaping prison
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Terror suspect Daniel Khalife has pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey to escaping custody at HMP Wandsworth where he was on remand after being charged with terror offences earlier this year.
The 21-year-old former soldier appeared via video link from HMP Belmarsh at the Old Bailey to deny the charge.
Khalife, who was wearing a blue and yellow sweatshirt, said: “I am not guilty.”
He is accused of escaping from prison on 6 September.
Khalife was arrested on a canal towpath in west London at 10.41am on 9 September.
The Met said Khalife had been arrested on suspicion of being unlawfully at large and being an escaped prisoner.
"Officers apprehended him just before 11am today in the #Chiswick area, and he is currently in police custody," the police said in a statement confirming his arrest.
"We thank the public and media for their support with info & appeals."
The police 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.”
A massive search was launched to find Khalife after his alleged escape. He was also accused of spying for an enemy state believed to be Iran according to the BBC, as well as plotting a fake bomb hoax.
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.
More than 150 counter-terrorism officers were deployed in the search for Khalife.
With Khalife having known connections to Kingston, areas such as Richmond Park were sealed off from the public as two helicopters hovered over the area using heat-cameras to try and find the suspect.
Airports and ports were also placed on high alert.
He had been in Wandsworth Prison awaiting trial after allegedly planting a fake bomb at an RAF base and gathering information that might be useful to terrorists or enemies of the UK.
He denied those charges at a previous hearing at the Old Bailey in July.
Mr Justice Jeremy Baker joined the charges and Khalife will be tried at Woolwich Crown Court on November 13 for all four offences.
