An ex-Staffordshire soldier who escaped from
prison has been described as "overly confident" and "quite arrogant" by a former jailmate. A nationwide manhunt has been launched for Daniel Abed Khalife , a 21-year-old former member of the
British Army, after he vanished from HMP Wandsworth in
London yesterday, September 6. Khalife, of Beacon Barracks, Beaconside, Stafford, was awaiting trial for terror and Official Secrets Act offences. He denied all charges against him. Reports suggested the fugitive went missing in a cook’s uniform and used makeshift straps to tie himself to the underside of a grocery van which drove him out of the lock-up. He has been missing since 8am yesterday morning and there are fears he could attempt to flee the country. LIVE UPDATES: Terror suspect manhunt live updates as search for fugitive Daniel Abed Khalife enters day two An ex-prisoner who was behind bars with the recently-escaped terror suspect told Express.co.uk he represents a "menace to society". Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a former inmate of the prison who knew Khalife revealed what the terror suspect was like in the south London jail. The source said: "He’s always denied the allegations and just wanted out but the guy's lost the plot. He was initially a quiet character but then overly confident and quite arrogant. "Khalife is delusional and actually a huge menace to society. I hope they find him quickly and preserve public order and security." According to The Times , there was a "delay of around an hour" between prison officials noticing Khalife was missing and contacting the police. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk spoke to prison bosses about the escape yesterday and every air hub and port in the country - including Birmingham Airport - is currently on alert. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of counter-terrorism command at the Metropolitan Police, said yesterday: “We have a team of officers who are making extensive and urgent enquiries in order to locate and detain Khalife as quickly as possible. However, the public can help us as well and should anyone see Khalife, or have any information as to where he might be, then please call 999 immediately. “I also want to reassure the public that we have no information which indicates, nor any reason to believe that Khalife poses a threat to the wider public, but our advice if you do see him is not to approach him and call 999 straight away.” A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We are working with the Metropolitan
police to recapture this prisoner and are urgently investigating how he escaped.” Got a story? Email josh.sandiford@reachplc.com