A former British army soldier facing terrorism-related charges escaped from a prison in southwest London on Wednesday morning, prompting a nationwide search by police, who appealed to the public for help apprehending him.

The prisoner, Daniel Abed Khalife, is scheduled to go on trial in November on charges that he breached the Official Secrets Act and terrorism statutes. He was charged in late January after a police investigation found that he had left fake bombs at a military base to stir fears of a terrorist attack.

The police said they believed Khalife, 21, who escaped from the Wandsworth prison around 7:50am, was still in the London vicinity, where he has ties to the Kingston area. They described him as being 6 feet, 2 inches tall, and said he had been last seen wearing a white T-shirt, red-and-white checkered pants and brown steel-toe cap boots.

“We have no information which indicates that Khalife poses a threat to the wider public, the police said."