Daniel Abed Khalife’s dramatic break-out from a south London prison yesterday morning was almost certainly an “inside job”, a former inmate at the prison who knew the escapee has exclusively told Express.co.uk.

The terror suspect reportedly escaped by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery van by using his position as a kitchen worker in HMP Wandsworth.

Speaking under condition of anonymity, the ex-prisoner said that normal security procedures at the jail should have made such an escape impossible.

He added that Khalife should not even have been working in the kitchen in the first place after being in the jail for such a short time.

It comes as Justice Minister Alex Chalk said “no stone must be left unturned” in figuring out how Khalife escaped and said the protocols and staff of the prison would be under scrutiny.

READ MORE: Terror suspect Daniel Khalife on the run accused of working for Iran[LATEST]

Airports across the country have been placed under heightened security and the M20 motorway was closed today in an “emergency measure”.

Khalife is suspected to have been spying for Iran, the BBC reported.

The former inmate said: “One simply can not escape on a van. Not in that prison.” He said that he believed “influential people” must have been involved for the scheme to have been pulled off, adding: “This was an inside job.”

“Any vehicle coming in and out of a prison is thoroughly searched,” he added. “They would have easily found him if he was going through the security checks. They have mirrors to look under the car. That happens for all vehicles – including delivery.”

He also said that the “position of trust” of working in the kitchen is usually only achieved after several years of proving an inmate’s reliability with prison officials.

The role is “very hard” to get into, the ex-prisoner said, as a high-paid job with favourable hours.

He added: “It should only be inmates who have earned that position of trust after a few years. The prison essentially needs to look at their character, their behaviour – how is he conducting himself in the prison, is he volatile?

“Is he high risk to others? It takes time to assess. All the evidence is pointing to an inside job.”

Yesterday Express.co.uk was exclusively told Khalife was a “menace to society” by a former prisoner at HMP Wandsworth.

The claim is one echoed by John Podmore, who governed Belmarsh and Brixton Prisons.

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He told the World at One that Khalife “should have been in Belmarsh” and that he “couldn’t understand” why he wasn’t.

Speaking to Sarah Montague, he also said the decision to give Khalife a job in the kitchen at HMP Wandsworth was “quite astonishing”.

“The prison kitchen is a plum job. And it goes to the most reliable, allegedly reliable, trusted prisoners chosen by staff,” he said.

“And it is a very vulnerable area. It’s where as we’ve seen vehicles keep coming, going in and out. goods coming in and out on a regular basis. It’s the kitchens usually close to the gate. So it’s a very vulnerable area. So you choose who goes there very, very carefully.”

While a security official told The Independent that all prison staff were being interviewed after the major security breach.

“All the indications are that this was an orchestrated job and not an opportunistic escape. It is almost certain that he had some inside help from the prison,” he said.

Mr Chalk, addressing MPs, said today: “At approximately 7.30am yesterday morning, a vehicle which had made a delivery to the prison’s kitchen left HMP Wandsworth. Shortly afterwards, local contingency plans for an unaccounted prisoner were activated and in line with standard procedure.”

He said that the vehicle the suspect was hiding under was “stopped and searched” by police after the alarm was raised – but he was gone.

“Strapping was found underneath a vehicle which appeared to indicate that Daniel Khalife may have held onto the underside of it in order to escape. The search is underway”, he said.

He added: “I made clear then and I reiterate now that no stone must be left unturned in getting to the bottom of what happened. Who was on duty that morning? In what roles, ranging from the kitchen to the prison gate?

“What protocols were in place? Were they followed?”

Commander Dominic Murphy, who is leading the manhunt for Khalife, said: “I recognise and am fully aware of the impact these measures are having on the public. We are working to ensure as minimal disruption as possible.

“It is crucial for the public to help us with this search and to call us immediately if they have any information on the whereabouts of Khalife.”

Express.co.uk has contacted the prison service and the Ministry of Justice for comment.

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