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Why is the M20 closed today? Latest traffic news as junction 8 of motorway shut in Daniel Khalife manhunt

A terror suspect who escaped from Wandsworth prison[1] in London on Wednesday morning remains on the run[2], as a nationwide manhunt to find him enters its second day.

Daniel Abed Khalife[3], a 21-year-old former British Army soldier, is reported to have escaped from the prison kitchen in his cook’s uniform by clinging to the underside of a delivery van. The Times reported there was a delay of around an hour between prison officials noticing he was missing and contacting the police.

The police search for Khalife involves both UK and international security services due to the “level of danger he represents”[4], a senior security source told i.

A section of the M20 motorway has been temporarily closed due to enhanced security checks as part of the efforts.

Where is the M20 closed?

Kent Police confirmed junctions eight and nine of the M20 were temporarily shut on Thursday due to the enhanced security checks – and to allow freight heading for mainland Europe to queue on the empty section of the motorway.

Temporary chief superintendent, Simon Alland, said: “The closure of the M20 is an emergency measure that is only used following consultation with our partners in the Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) and after a thorough assessment of issues including public safety and traffic volumes.

“The KRF will continue to monitor the situation closely in order to restore the motorway to its full capacity as soon as possible.”

People traveling in Kent, including to the Port of Dover[5], are advised to check for the latest traffic and travel updates to plan ahead.

Road users are advised to follow the hollow circle diversion symbol on road signs if heading eastbound.

Diverted traffic will exit the M20 at junction eight on to the eastbound A20 towards Ashford, and will remain on the A20 until the junction with Fougeres Way, where it will then turn northwards towards junction nine of the M20 and rejoin the motorway.

What else is being done to find Khalife?

Security services are monitoring Khalife’s bank accounts, any known phones, family, friends and key contacts.

Police will also interview his known prison contacts, both still serving sentences and those released.

GCHQ[6] is monitoring international email traffic for keywords that could relate to Khalife’s plans or whereabouts.

Police say Khalife has links to the Kingston area in south-west London and north-west England. They believe he is likely to be in the London area currently, but may also have travelled elsewhere.

Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Daniel Abed Khalife. Police are continuing to hunt for the former soldier accused of terrorism, as a senior Government minister admitted there were questions to answer about the prison escape. Khalife, 21, went missing in his cook's uniform from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, prompting extra security checks at major transport hubs. Issue date: Thursday September 7, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story POLICE Army. Photo credit should read: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Police are continuing to hunt for Daniel Abed Khalife, a former soldier accused of terrorism, who has escaped from prison (Photo: Metropolitan Police/PA)

There are fears Khalife may try to flee the country. Border Force has increased checks at airports and ports[7], and British Transport Police has cancelled leave for officers as the search for the fugitive at train stations and other transport hubs intensifies.

It is understood that marinas across the country have been instructed to watch for any suspicious activity in the event that Khalife attempts to leave the UK on a private boat.

Khalife was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, red and white chequered trousers and brown, steel toe-cap boots, the Metropolitan Police said, and is slim and 6ft 2in, with short brown hair.

Ian Acheson, a former head of security at HMP Wandsworth who has advised the government on counter-terrorism in prison, told Sky News: “There must have been multiple and fairly catastrophic security failures in order for all of those processes to be defeated by this man who somehow, we believe, smuggled themselves, out of the prison.

“I think that says something quite alarming and I’m afraid is all too typical of the state of our prison system[8] at the moment.”

The head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, Commander Dominic Murphy, said there was “no reason to believe Khalife poses a threat to the wider public” but urged people not to approach him and to call 999 if they spot him.

What is Khalife accused of?

Khalife was on remand in Wandsworth prison[9] awaiting trial in relation to terrorism and Official Secrets Act offences, including preparing an act of terrorism[10] and collecting information useful to an enemy.

He had been based at Beacon Barracks in Beaconside while serving in the Army, and was discharged in May of this year.

Related Article


Why was Daniel Khalife at Wandsworth prison? What we know about the charges against him after he escapes jail

At a court appearance at the Old Bailey in July, Khalife denied all the charges against him.

He is accused of stealing personal information about soldiers from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) Joint Personnel Administration System in 2021 which was “likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.

Khalife is also accused of breaking the Official Secrets Act[11] by acting against the “safety and interests of the state” and allegedly collecting information which would be “useful to the enemy”.

The court heard he also allegedly left fake explosive devices at the MoD base in Stafford in the hope of “inducing in another the belief the item was likely to explode or ignite”.

An insider at MI5, the UK’s domestic intelligence agency, told i that Khalife is alleged to have been passing secrets to a hostile state and acting on the orders of an enemy to the UK, adding that he may have been groomed by a “foreign state” while he served in the Army.

They said the most serious offences Khalife is accused of were related to his work for a hostile state rather than any immediate physical threat he posed to the public.

The source wouldn’t name the state in question, citing national security[12], but a report in the Daily Mail said Mr Khalife has been accused of spying[13] for Iran[14].

References

  1. ^ A terror suspect who escaped from Wandsworth prison (inews.co.uk)
  2. ^ remains on the run (inews.co.uk)
  3. ^ Daniel Abed Khalife (inews.co.uk)
  4. ^ “level of danger he represents” (inews.co.uk)
  5. ^ Port of Dover (inews.co.uk)
  6. ^ GCHQ (inews.co.uk)
  7. ^ Border Force has increased checks at airports and ports (inews.co.uk)
  8. ^ prison system (inews.co.uk)
  9. ^ on remand in Wandsworth prison (inews.co.uk)
  10. ^ terrorism (inews.co.uk)
  11. ^ Official Secrets Act (inews.co.uk)
  12. ^ national security (inews.co.uk)
  13. ^ spying (inews.co.uk)
  14. ^ Iran (inews.co.uk)

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