Daniel Khalife: Police confirm new sightings in Chiswick, west London

Police have confirmed sightings of missing terror suspect Daniel Khalife in Chiswick, west London, as they released a new description.

He is said to be wearing a black baseball cap, black t-shirt and dark-coloured clothes on his legs, as well as carrying a small bag or case.

Police said “intensive” searches were under way in Chiswick, about 4.5 miles from HMP Wandsworth, from where the former soldier escaped.

He escaped hiding under a delivery van.

On Friday, Met Police officers were carrying out door-to-door enquiries in the hunt for the 21-year-old, alongside combing through CCTV footage and using a police helicopter searching areas of west and south-west London.

The force is also offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information that leads directly to the remand prisoner’s arrest.

In its latest update on Saturday, Scotland Yard said Chiswick became the focus after what it said were “confirmed sightings in that area overnight, including calls from members of the public”.

People in the area reported intense aerial searches involving at least one police helicopter on Friday night into early Saturday morning.

Mr Khalife has been missing for three days after breaking out of Wandsworth prison just after 07:30 BST on Wednesday.

On Friday, the Met said a member of the public had spotted Mr Khalife walking away from the food delivery truck officers said he used to escape Wandsworth, a category B prison.

The van had stopped near the south entrance to Wandsworth roundabout, at the top of Trinity Road.

The previous description said Mr Khalife was wearing a prison-issue cook’s uniform, including distinctive red chequered trousers. He held a job in the prison kitchens prior to his escape.

Mr Khalife 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.

He was at Wandsworth on remand pending a trial in November after being denied bail at a court hearing in January.

He is described as slim, 6ft 2in (1.9m), with short brown hair.

Mr Khalife, who is British and has Lebanese heritage on his father’s side, grew up in south-west London and joined the Army after leaving school.

Mr 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.