The mother of terror suspect Daniel Khalife claims her son is “not in reality” and that he “doesn’t think like a normal person”.
Khalife, 21, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Monday) charged with allegedly absconding from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday last week leading to a 75-hour manhunt.
Now his mother Farnaz Khalife, 47, a former nurse, has said her son suffers from bouts of mental illness and that as a child he enjoyed watching TV programmes about the SAS.
Ms Khalife, a former nurse who raised her son in Kingston-upon-Thames, southwest London, told The Times: “When he was arrested, he laughed and winked, that’s not normal. I feel helpless. This is not reality, it is a fantasy. He doesn’t think like a normal person.”
Daniel Khalife joined the army aged 16 with his mother’s consent – attending the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, before basic training in Pirbright, Surrey. He then went to the Defence School of Communications Information Systems in Blandford Forum, Dorset.
His mother, who now lives in Wales after moving there in 2020, still cares for Khalife’s Maltese dog Fluffy, but during his time in the army she reportedly was unable to call her son because he didn’t put her on his “approved” list.
Ms Khalife said when her son was in the military she begged him to seek help with his mental health, adding: “I told him to go to the army doctor to get help but I don’t think he did.”
She said she only discovered her son had allegedly escaped prison during a visit to see his twin sister who is studying a masters in London.
Speaking about her son’s mental health now, Ms Khalife said he should be checked for “mental health problems”.
Khalife has been charged with escaping custody and appeared in court briefly on Monday to confirm his name and date of birth.
His dramatic arrest on Sunday came after a massive operation involving security services bugging phones and even elite SAS troops being brought in.
He winked at passers-by after the 75-hour man hunt came to a close following his escape from Wandsworth prison on Wednesday.
