Inmate freed mistakenly arrested in London

LONDON

A 24-year-old Algerian national who was mistakenly released from prison on Oct. 29 was arrested in London, police said on Friday.

Brahim Kaddour Cherif, a convicted sex offender, was arrested by officers more than a week after being released from Wandsworth prison, police said in a statement.

"Cherif was spotted by a member of the public in Blackstock Road, Islington just before 11.30am. Officers responded immediately and he was arrested," the Metropolitan Police said on US social media company X.

Another inmate, William Smith, 35, handed himself on Thursday, three days after being mistakenly freed from the same prison.

"We inherited a prison system in crisis and I'm appalled at the rate of releases in error this is causing," said Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy. "That’s why I’ve ordered tough new release checks, launched an investigation, and started overhauling archaic prison systems."

Alex Davies-Jones, a justice minister, said prisons "won't be fixed overnight," and that the system is in "crisis."

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick labelled the situation an "utter shambles" as pressure on the government is mounting over recent mistaken releases.