Daniel Khalife probe to be launched into HMP Wandsworth as MOJ vows ‘no stone will be left unturned’ in ‘terrorist’ hunt
ESCAPED terror suspect Daniel Khalife will be caught in due course with "no stone left unturned", the Government vowed today.
Khalife, 21, broke out of HMP Wandsworth yesterday morning after clinging to the underside of a food delivery van.
A manhunt has now been launched for the former soldier, who was awaiting trial for terror offences.
Airports and ports have been placed on high alert as anti-terror police scrambled to stop the prisoner leaving UK soil.
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk revealed a probe will be launched into the prison as he made a speech in the House of Commons today.
He also vowed the fugitive prisoner "will be caught in due course".
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Outlining a timetable for the daring escape, Mr Chalk said: "What I can say is at approximately 7.30am yesterday morning, a vehicle which had made a delivery to the prison's kitchen left MP Wandsworth.
"Shortly afterwards, local contingency plans for an unaccounted prisoner were activated and in line with standard procedure.
"The police were informed. The prison was put into a state of lockdown while staff attempted to determine Daniel Khalife's whereabouts."
The minister confirmed the van Khalife used to escape was "stopped and searched" by police after the alarm was raised with strapping found underneath.
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As well as a Government probe into HMP Wandsworth, Mr Chalk also said an independent inquiry into the escape will be carried out.
He added: "I made clear then and I reiterate now that no stone must be left unturned in getting to the bottom of what happened.
"Who was on duty that morning? In what roles, ranging from the kitchen to the prison gate? What protocols were in place? Were they followed?";
It comes as questions continue to mount over how Khalife managed to escape the prison in South London so easily.
The British citizen was working in the kitchen when he escaped in a chef's uniform of a white T-shirt, red and white chequered trousers and brown steel toecap boots.
He is thought to have used makeshift straps to attach himself to the truck as it was waved out of the notorious lock-up.
A prison source told staff at the Victorian Cat-B slammer realised Khalife was missing at around 7am - almost an hour before cops were alerted.
The hunt has sparked chaos nationwide as additional security checks at airports cause delays.
An alert was sent to all UK airports and ports after the Counter terrorism Command was told about the missing lag.
Former Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley has now described the audacious escape as a "catastrophic failure of prison security".
But the Prison Officer Association says Wandsworth Prison is "under resourced" and is experiencing chronic staffing shortages.
POA National Chair Mark Fairhurst said: "The chronic staffing shortages and lack of adequate training for staff highlight the need for an urgent review of how our prisons are run.
"We await the results of an internal investigation so we may ensure this is not repeated.”
Khalife, who was attached to the Royal Signal Corps before being discharged, is accused of leaving fake bombs at an RAF base in January.
He vanished for more than three weeks after the bomb hoax before being arrested on January 26.
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Another charge, under the Official Secrets Act, alleges Khalife collected personal information about soldiers from an MoD computer system that could be useful to an enemy.
He was being held on remand at Wandsworth prison and was due to stand trial on November 20.
