Police refuse to rule out terror suspect Daniel Khalife has left the country - or that he had outside help to escape prison

Police have refused to rule out that Daniel Khalife has left the country - or that he had outside help to escape prison. The hunt for the fugitive terror suspect is in its third day.

The 21-year-old serving former soldier is awaiting trial for terror and Official Secrets Act offences. He escaped from Wandsworth prison on Wednesday morning (September 6).

He went missing in his cook's uniform, prompting extra security checks at major transport hubs. Strapping was found on the underside of a Bidfood delivery vehicle, which police stopped just over an hour after it left the prison.

Officers suggested Khalife held on to the underside of the lorry to escape.

Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features

His disappearance has prompted questions over staffing levels at HMP Wandsworth and why he was being held in a Category B prison. The Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism commander said it is 'testament to the ingenuity' of the ex-soldier that there have been no confirmed sightings since he escaped prison.

Dominic Murphy said he was keeping an 'open mind' as to whether Khalife had received support from somebody to escape prison and whether he had managed to leave the country. He said more than 150 investigators and police staff from counter terrorism command working in London on investigation and officers had received more than 50 calls from the public which had provided 'some really valuable lines of inquiry'.

It came as London's Richmond Park was shut and searched by cops on Thursday night into the early hours of Friday (September 8). Officers were seen guarding the entrance as choppers flew overhead. The park is around two miles from the prison.

In a press