The escape of a former soldier from a London prison provoked a furious row yesterday as ministers were condemned over cuts and staff shortages that have left potentially dangerous inmates in low-security prisons.
With the hunt for Daniel Khalife, 21, involving 150 counter-terrorism officers, the police were urgently trying to establish whether he had help fleeing from HMP Wandsworth. They said Khalife who faces espionage and terror charges - had strapped himself to the bottom of a lorry, raising questions about the equipment he used, and how he was not detected as the vehicle left the prison.
The chief inspector of prisons, the chair of parliament's justice committee and the Prison Officers Association (POA) all said HMP Wandsworth was known to have staffing issues, adding to pressure on the government over the escape on Wednesday morning, which Labour said "beggars belief".
Khalife's presence in a category B prison when accused of such serious offences also prompted concerns that other high-risk inmates may be held in security conditions not commensurate with their alleged crimes.
He is accused of planting fake bombs and collecting information that could be useful to an enemy country, in breach of the Official Secrets Act. The country is understood to be Iran, though it is unclear how strong the link is alleged to be.
The head of the Met's counter-terrorism command, Dominic Murphy, said: "If there are people out there in London today, or anywhere else in the UK, who are supporting Daniel and have supported his escape and are continuing to support him to prevent his capture and return to prison, those individuals commit serious criminal offences."
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