Former British soldier Daniel Khalife, who is facing trial on terrorism charges, has been recaptured by police in West London following a four-day manhunt.
Mr Khalife, 21, was in custody at HMP Wandsworth when it is believed he escaped by strapping himself to the bottom of a delivery lorry after leaving the prison kitchen in a cook’s uniform.
Police announced on Saturday they had recaptured him 11km away in Chiswick.
He is awaiting trial for allegedly planting a fake bomb at an RAF base and gathering information for Iran.
His escape sparked a nationwide manhunt, as the security services put all ports and airports on high alert.
It led to enhanced security checks which have led to delays for passengers.
The Metropolitan Police said they had found and arrested him just before 11am on Saturday and he is presently in police custody.
“We would like to thank the public and media for their support throughout our investigation to locate Mr Khalife, and we will provide a further update on his arrest in due course,” the force said.
Officers had been searching the district earlier on Saturday after confirmed sightings in the area.
He is believed to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday morning.
Mr Khalife was being held in prison ahead of trial on offences relating to terrorism and the Official Secrets Act.
He is accused of trying to pass information during his time working for the Royal Corps of Signals, which handles sensitive communications, and is accused of leaving hoax bomb devices at a military base in Stafford, West Midlands, near the army barracks where he lived.
Home Office Minister Chris Philp congratulated the police for their “rapid and effective” work to reapprehend Mr Khalife.
“Great work by the Met Police. Well done for a rapid and effective piece of work to catch this fugitive,” policing minister Mr Philp said.
“An example of policing at its best. Congratulations to all officers involved in this operation.”
The operation to find him led to Scotland Yard offering a £20,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and involved officers using thermal scanners to search Richmond Park, London’s largest park.
Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said officers are investigating whether his escape involved prison staff and, on Saturday, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk vowed to leave “no stone unturned” into how it happened.
“I would like to thank the police and partners for their comprehensive efforts over recent days. I am also grateful to staff across HMPPS (HM Prison and Probation Service) for their continued focus and professionalism,” Mr Chalk said.
“With Daniel Khalife now in custody, the legal process must be allowed to take its course. Nothing should be said or done to prejudice any future trial.
“The investigations I requested into prison security and categorisation are well in train, and I will leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of how this serious breach was possible.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, currently in India at the G20 summit, said he was “very pleased with the news”.
“My thanks to the police officers for their fantastic work over the past couple of days,” he added.
He last appeared in court in London on January 28 and was remanded in custody over two incidents.
Trial at Woolwich Crown Court had been scheduled to begin on November 13.
Who is Daniel Khalife?
The former soldier was born in London to an Iranian mother and Lebanese father and has been described by relatives as a “very, very intelligent, easy going and kind boy”.
He is understood to have only visited Iran twice as a young child – where his grandmother was a primary schoolteacher and his grandfather an accountant.
“Danny doesn’t know Iran, he loves this country,” a relative told The Times, adding that they were secular Iranians opposed to the government in Tehran.
His mother was born in Iran and married in her early 20s in Britain before her marriage broke up.
She then raised Mr Khalife and his twin sister on her own in a flat in Kingston, south-west London.
He joined the army aged 18 in 2019 and served for four years before the investigation which resulted in his discharge in May.
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The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
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“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
