BBC reports that after a three-day manhunt and fear of a terrorist attack, the British police managed to capture a suspect of planning acts of terrorism and espionage for Iran who managed to escape from prison.
Daniel Abed Khalife, a former British soldier of Lebanese origin, was arrested a few months ago on suspicion of trying to pass military secrets to Iran and claimed that he had planted explosive devices in British army bases, a claim which later turned out to be false. His trial was supposed to take place this November.
He managed to escape from prison last Wednesday after tying himself to the bottom of a food delivery truck that left the prison after unloading goods. The British police launched an extensive manhunt for him out of fear that he was dangerous to the public and might commit acts of terrorism or take hostages, and a reward of £20,000 (approximately $25,000) was offered to anyone who would provide information that would lead to his capture.
After an extensive three-day manhunt, Khalife was captured on Saturday morning after a plainclothes police officer spotted him riding a bicycle near a river in London and managed to knock him to the ground.
Dominic Murphy, head of the London Police's Counter-Terrorism Unit, said that it took about 75 hours from the time Khalife disappeared from the prison to the point of his arrest. "That's pretty quick considering the challenge of trying to find this person. Upon being detained by the officer he was fully co-operative and handcuffed and arrested.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also praised the British police for the arrest of the suspected terrorist and spy for Iran. Khalife's relatives claimed that "he has undergone a radical change in recent years" but denied that he tried to spy for Iran or commit a terrorist act.