Police in the United Kingdom say they have arrested an asylum-seeker who was mistakenly released from prison on Friday while serving a 12-month sentence for sexual assault.
In September, Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu was imprisoned for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl while staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping, England. The hotel, just outside of London, is one of numerous hotels controversially used by the British government to house people claiming asylum in the island nation.
“Hadush Kebatu, who was released in error from HMP Chelmsford on Friday morning, has been arrested,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Sunday.
“This has been a diligent and fast paced investigation led by specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police, supported by Essex Police and the British Transport Police,” said Commander James Conway, who oversaw the operation to find Kebatu.
“Information from the public led officers to Finsbury Park and following a search, they located Mr Kebatu. He was detained by police, but will be returned to the custody of the Prison Service,” he said.
“I am extremely grateful to the public for their support following our appeal, which assisted in locating Mr Kebatu.”
Officers apprehended Kebatu in a London park around 8.30 a.m. local time. That evening, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Kebatu would be deported from the UK following his arrest. The embattled PM also vowed to ensure “this doesn’t happen again,” per CNN.
Kebatu’s sexual assault case sparked outrage and anti-migrant protests across the country in August, including demonstrations outside the Bell Hotel.
On Friday, Essex Police said the country’s prison service informed it at around 1:00 p.m. local time of an “error” related to the release of a prisoner. A manhunt was rapidly launched for Kebatu, with British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy also declaring that an “urgent investigation” would be conducted over the mistaken release.