A man has been convicted of helping convicted spy and terrorist Daniel Khalife evade capture after his dramatic escape from HMP Wandsworth sparked a nationwide manhunt. Adeel Khan, 32, was found guilty of assisting Khalife by arranging for him to receive £400 in cash, enabling the fugitive to buy a mobile phone and other items while on the run. The verdict follows a two-week trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
Nationwide manhunt
Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth on 6 September 2023, prompting a major search operation involving police forces across the country. He remained on the run for three days before being arrested beside a canal in Northolt. Subsequent investigations by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London revealed Khalife had received outside assistance while attempting to evade capture.
Cash arranged by prison contact
Detectives established that Khalife had been communicating by mobile phone with Khan, whom he had met while in prison. Investigators discovered Khan had organised for Khalife to receive £400 in cash, which prosecutors said allowed him to purchase a mobile phone and other items that helped him remain at large. Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said:
“A huge amount of police resource was used during the manhunt for Daniel Khalife – a man who has now been convicted of espionage and terrorism offences.
“Adeel Khan knowingly helped him to try and evade capture by arranging for him to be given £400 cash, which enabled him to buy a mobile phone and other items that helped extend his time on the run.
“This case demonstrates that anyone who helps a criminal in this way will find themselves arrested and now they are also facing justice.”
Phone calls uncovered
Khan was interviewed at Wandsworth Prison in October 2023 after officers found his name, prison number and mobile phone number written in a diary Khalife was carrying when he was arrested. Analysis of mobile phone data revealed multiple calls between the pair after Khalife’s escape. Police said Khalife initially used phones borrowed from members of the public before purchasing his own handset using the cash arranged by Khan. Although the phone Khan used to communicate was never recovered, he had previously admitted possessing a mobile phone while in prison, contrary to the Prisons Act 1952.
Second defendant cleared
Khan’s friend, Imran Chowdhury, 26, of Chingford, was also charged with assisting an offender. Counter Terrorism Policing officers tracked CCTV showing Chowdhury walking with Khalife towards a bank in Richmond, where £400 was withdrawn and handed over. The court heard Chowdhury had been paid £120 by Khan, through Khan’s girlfriend, to deliver the money but was unaware it was being given to an escaped prisoner. The jury found Chowdhury not guilty of assisting an offender.
Sentencing
Khan, of Waltham Forest, will be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 4 September. Daniel Khalife has since been convicted of espionage and terrorism offences following separate criminal proceedings.
Originally published by UKNIP.
