LONDON: British police said Saturday they were scouring hours of closed-circuit TV recordings to find an asylum-seeker sentenced for sexual assault who was mistakenly released from prison.
Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was “last seen in the London area,” Essex Police said Saturday, adding that officers from three separate forces were working together in the investigation.
Kebatu came to national attention after his case triggered a wave of anti-migrant protests in London and other cities in recent months.
He was sentenced in September to 12 months in prison for five offenses, including the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in July in Epping, on the outskirts of London, just over a week after he had arrived in England by boat.
Authorities said they were alerted Friday afternoon that Kebatu was released by mistake at a prison in Chelmsford, Essex, and was seen catching a train there. British media reported that he was wrongly categorized as a prisoner due to be released, instead of being sent to an immigration detention center.
“Officers worked throughout the night to track his movements, including scouring hours of CCTV footage, and this work continues today,” a police statement said.
“It is not lost on us that this situation is concerning to people, and we are committed to locating and arresting him as quickly as possible,” it added.
The Prison Service launched an investigation, and a prison officer has been removed from discharging duties while that takes place.
Kebatu’s arrest and prosecution prompted thousands of people to protest outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, northeast of London, where he was staying along with other newly arrived migrants. Multiple protests targeting other hotels housing migrants followed in other British cities and towns, with some demonstrations attended by far-right activists and spilling into disorder.
The group Stand Up to Racism also rallied in counterprotests.
Tensions have long simmered over unauthorized migration — especially the tens of thousands of migrants crossing the English Channel in overloaded boats to reach the UK — as well as the Labour government’s policy of using hotels to house migrants who are awaiting a decision on their asylum status.
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British police search London for asylum-seeker mistakenly released from prison
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British police search London for asylum-seeker mistakenly released from prison
- Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was “last seen in the London area,” Essex Police said
- Kebatu came to national attention after his case triggered a wave of anti-migrant protests in London
South Korea scrambles jets after Russian, Chinese planes approach
- The Russian and Chinese aircraft entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone around 10 a.m. local time
- Since 2019, China and Russia have regularly flown military aircraft into South Korea’s air defense zone without prior notice
SEOUL: South Korea said it had sent up fighter jets on Tuesday after seven Russian and two Chinese military aircraft entered its air defense zone.
The Russian and Chinese aircraft entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) around 10 a.m. local time (0100 GMT), Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
None of the planes violated South Korean airspace, they said.
Seoul said it deployed “fighter jets to take tactical measures in preparation for any contingencies” in response.
The planes flew in and out of the zone for an hour before leaving, the military said, according to Yonhap.
The planes were spotted before they entered the air defense identification zone, defined as a broader area in which countries police aircraft for security reasons but which does not constitute their airspace.
China’s defense ministry later said it had organized drills with Russia’s military according to “annual cooperation plans.”
The drills took place Tuesday above the East China Sea and western Pacific Ocean, the ministry said, calling the exercises their “10th joint strategic air patrol.”
Since 2019, China and Russia have regularly flown military aircraft into South Korea’s air defense zone without prior notice, citing joint exercises.
In November last year, Seoul scrambled jets as five Chinese and six Russian military planes flew through its air defense zone.
Similar incidents occurred in June and December 2023, and in May and November 2022.
China and Russia have expanded military and defense ties since Moscow ordered troops into Ukraine nearly four years ago.
Both are also traditional allies of North Korea, Seoul’s arch-foe.
The Russian and Chinese aircraft entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) around 10 a.m. local time (0100 GMT), Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
None of the planes violated South Korean airspace, they said.
Seoul said it deployed “fighter jets to take tactical measures in preparation for any contingencies” in response.
The planes flew in and out of the zone for an hour before leaving, the military said, according to Yonhap.
The planes were spotted before they entered the air defense identification zone, defined as a broader area in which countries police aircraft for security reasons but which does not constitute their airspace.
China’s defense ministry later said it had organized drills with Russia’s military according to “annual cooperation plans.”
The drills took place Tuesday above the East China Sea and western Pacific Ocean, the ministry said, calling the exercises their “10th joint strategic air patrol.”
Since 2019, China and Russia have regularly flown military aircraft into South Korea’s air defense zone without prior notice, citing joint exercises.
In November last year, Seoul scrambled jets as five Chinese and six Russian military planes flew through its air defense zone.
Similar incidents occurred in June and December 2023, and in May and November 2022.
China and Russia have expanded military and defense ties since Moscow ordered troops into Ukraine nearly four years ago.
Both are also traditional allies of North Korea, Seoul’s arch-foe.
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