Daniel Khalife: former solider pleads not guilty to escaping custody at HMP Wandsworth

Former solider Daniel Khalife has pleaded not guilty to escaping custody at HMP Wandsworth earlier this month.

Khalife was being held on remand in the prison after he was charged with terror offences earlier this year. He is accused of making his escape from Wandsworth on 6 September, allegedly by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery truck.

He was arrested three days later on 9 September following a high-profile search, in which travel hubs across the UK - including airports - were brought to a standstill. Khalife was captured on a canal towpath in west London when a plain-clothed counter-terrorism officer is said to have pulled him off of a push bike.

He appeared at the Old Bailey via a video link from HMP Belmarsh, where he has remained in custody since his re-capture. When asked by the court what his -plea was, Khalife, who was wearing a blue and yellow sweatshirt, said: “I am not guilty.”