![\"Spotting](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-brahim-kaddour-cherif_7075216.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIt started with a strong espresso in a simple cafe on a side street in north London.<\/p>\n
Several Algerian men were inside, a few others were outside on the pavement, smoking.<\/p>\n
I’d been told the wanted prisoner might be in Finsbury Park, so I ordered a coffee and asked if they’d seen him.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Image:
\n Spotting a man resembling the suspect, Tom and camera operator Josh Masters gave chase<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-brahim-kaddour-cherif_7075215.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
They were happy to tell me that some of them knew Brahim Kaddour-Cherif – the 24-year-old offender who was on the run.<\/p>\n
One of the customers revealed to me that he’d actually seen him the night before.<\/p>\n
“He wants to hand himself to police,” the friend said candidly.<\/p>\n
This was the beginning of the end of Britain’s most high-profile manhunt.<\/p>\n
The Algerian convicted sex offender had been at large since 29 October, after he was mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth<\/a> in south London<\/a>.<\/p>\n Within an hour of meeting the friend in the cafe, he had followed myself and camera operator Josh Masters to a nearby street.<\/p>\n Image: We weren’t yet filming – he didn’t want any attention or fuss surrounding him.<\/p>\n “Follow me, he’s in the park,” the man told me.<\/p>\n “Follow – but not too close.”<\/p>\n We did.<\/p>\n I was in the same park a few weeks ago after fugitive Hadush Kebatu<\/a>, the Ethiopian sex offender – also wrongly released from prison – was also arrested in Finsbury Park.<\/p>\n It was odd to be back in the same spot in such similar circumstances.<\/p>\n Read more on Tom’s story: As he led us through the park past joggers, young families and people playing tennis, the man headed for the gates nearest Finsbury Park station.<\/p>\n All of a sudden two police officers ran past us.<\/p>\n The Met had had a tip-off called in from a member of the public.<\/p>\n It was frantic. Undercover officers, uniformed cops, screeching tyres and blaring sirens. We were in the middle of the manhunt.<\/p>\n As they scoured the streets at speed, we walked by some of the Algerian men I’d seen in the cafe.<\/p>\n Image: One man near the group was wearing green tracksuit bottoms, a beanie hat and had glasses on.<\/p>\n “It’s him, it’s him,” one of the other men said to me, gesturing towards him.<\/p>\n The man in the beanie then quickly turned on his heel and walked off.<\/p>\n “It’s him, it’s him,” another guy agreed.<\/p>\n The suspect was walking off while the police were still searching the nearby streets.<\/p>\n Josh and I caught up with him and I asked directly, “are you Brahim?”<\/p>\n You may have watched the exchange in the Sky News video – he was in denial, evasive and pretended the suspect had pedalled off on a Lime bike.<\/p>\n I can only guess he knew the game was up, but for whatever reason, he was keeping up the lie.<\/p>\n Image: Image: Moments later, one of the bystanders told me, “it is him”, with added urgency.<\/p>\n Only the prisoner knows why he then walked up to the nearby police van – officers quickly moved to handcuff him and tell him why he was being arrested.<\/p>\n Over the next 10 minutes, he became agitated. His story changed as I repeatedly asked if he had been the man inside HMP Wandsworth.<\/p>\n Officers needed confirmation too – one quickly pulled out a smartphone and checked an image of the wanted man from one of Sky News’ online platforms.<\/p>\n Image: Read more from Sky News: “It’s not my f****** fault, they release me!” he yelled at me.<\/p>\n The search was over, the prisoner cage in the back of the van was opened and he was guided in.<\/p>\n![\"Kaddour-Cherif](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-epping-hadush-kebatu_7002838.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Kaddour-Cherif was accidentally freed five days after the wrongful release of convicted sex offender Hadush Kebatu (pictured). They were both arrested separately in Finsbury Park. Pic: Crown Prosecution Service\/PA<\/p>\n
Wrongly released prisoner’s angry reaction<\/a>
‘I’m glad he’s been arrested<\/a>‘<\/p>\n![\"Kaddour-Cherif](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-brahim-kaddour-cherif_7075213.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Kaddour-Cherif walked up to a nearby police van as Tom continued to question him<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-brahim-kaddour-cherif_7075214.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Police](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-prisoner-brahim-kaddour-cherif_7075045.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Police moved in to handcuff him and used their phones to check an image of the wanted man from one of Sky News’ online platforms<\/p>\n![\"Once](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-arrest-migrant-manhunt_7075002.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Once his identity was confirmed, Kaddour-Cherif was put into the back of the police van<\/p>\n![\"When](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/skynews-brahim-kaddour-cherif_7075217.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n When Tom first caught up with him, Kaddour-Cherif claimed the culprit had left on a Lime bike<\/p>\n
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