The 24-year-old, who had been serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal and had a prior conviction for indecent exposure, was spotted on Blackstock Road, Finsbury Park, north London, after a member of the public alerted police just before 11.30am on Friday.
Footage of the arrest shows Kaddour-Cherif initially denying his identity while wearing a grey hoodie, black beanie, and carrying a black backpack. He was handcuffed, searched, and taken into police custody. During the arrest, he shouted: “Look at the justice of the UK… it’s not my fault they released me.”
The Ministry of Justice confirmed that the Prison Service had only notified police of the erroneous release six days after Kaddour-Cherif left custody on October 29, prompting a manhunt. Another prisoner, Billy Smith, was also mistakenly released from Wandsworth on Monday but voluntarily returned.
Assistant police confirmed that Kaddour-Cherif was arrested on suspicion of being unlawfully at large and on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker in relation to a previous unrelated incident. He is currently in custody while the Prison Service investigates the release.
Kaddour-Cherif is not an asylum seeker but is in the process of deportation after overstaying his visa. His release followed closely after the mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian national jailed for sexual assault, which sparked a three-day manhunt before his eventual deportation.
The incident has reignited criticism of Justice Secretary David Lammy, who faced accusations of “cowardice” and poor handling of the situation from senior ministers and opposition MPs. Lammy defended his response, stating that the release occurred before newly implemented prison checks came into effect, and emphasised the need to reform the prison system to prevent future errors.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed frustration over “intolerable” wrongful prisoner releases but defended Lammy’s efforts to tighten security protocols. Housing Secretary Steve Reed also defended the Justice Secretary, highlighting the need for a digitised prison system to prevent mistaken releases.
The re-arrest underscores ongoing concerns about administrative failings in the UK prison system and has prompted renewed calls for urgent reforms to prevent similar incidents in the future.
