A former British soldier who is suspected of preparing for terrorist crimes and who escaped from prison, has been targeted not far from the institution in London. This is confirmed by British police at the same time as the great hunt for the man is in its third day.
The 21-year-old has been seen at a busy roundabout in Wandsworth, south London, shortly after escaping from the prison where he was held, the head of the London Police’s counter-terrorism unit said.
The man managed to escape on Wednesday by tying himself under a truck. The escape is suspected to have been planned, possibly with help from inside the prison.
Since then, the hunt for him has been followed closely by the British, who have been asked to keep their eyes open.
Promises reward
The police are offering a reward of 20,000 pounds, equivalent to roughly 277,000 Swedish kronor, to whoever comes with tips that lead to the man’s arrest.
– We are approaching him. A reward like this I hope motivates people who know something about the man to call us, says police officer Dominic Murphy.
Using helicopters and ground units, police are searching for the escapee, focusing on the 1,000-hectare Richmond Park natural area.
The escape has also caused security concerns at airports and in the port of Dover. According to the police, the man does not pose any major risk to the public.
Fake bombs
The 21-year-old has been remanded in custody at Wandsworth Prison since January, when he was charged in 2021 with attempting to obtain information “which may be useful to a person carrying out or preparing acts of terrorism”.
He is also said to have collected information that “could be useful to the enemy”, and to have placed fake bombs at military facilities. He was fired from the army after his arrest, and has denied all charges. The trial was scheduled to begin in November.
The opposition has demanded to know how the escape was possible, and why the man was not placed in a maximum security institution. The government promises to investigate the incident.