British officials say that an Ethiopian man who was released from prison by mistake instead of being deported has been arrested after a nearly three-day manhunt.
Hadush Kebatu, believed to be 38, was sentenced to a 12-month imprisonment in September for five offenses, including the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl, that he committed shortly after arriving in England by small boat.
He was meant to be sent to an immigration detention center to be deported when he was mistakenly freed from Chelmsford Prison on Friday.
His arrest earlier this year triggered a wave of angry anti-migrant protests in London and other cities.
What do we know about the rearrest?
Commander James Conway, who was in charge of the operation to find Kebatu, said the latter had been found in north London after a “diligent and fast-paced investigation.”
“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 in a statement.
Britain’s Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy confirmed the arrest.
“Kebatu has been arrested, is now in custody and will be deported,” Lammy said.
“I have already ordered the immediate strengthening of release checks and a full investigation into what went wrong,” he added.
The circumstances surrounding Kebatu’s mistaken release are under investigation.
What was Kebatu convicted of?
Kebatu’s offenses included trying to kiss the teenage girl and making inappropriate remarks to her in Epping, northeast of London, on July 7.
His trial also heard that he tried to kiss a woman a day later and put his hand on her leg while telling her she was pretty.
The court was told at his sentencing hearing that it was his “firm wish” to be deported.
Media reports say that Kebatu himself was confused by his release, with one eyewitness telling Sky News that he had tried to return to prison but was turned away.
Anti-migrant protests
News of Kebatu’s offenses unleashed weeks of protests over the summer amid rising tensions in Britain over immigration.
Thousands of people protested outside the Bell Hotel in Epping where he was staying along with other newly arrived migrants.
More protests followed at other hotels where migrants resided in other British cities and towns.
Some demonstrations included far-right activists among their participants, with some rallies becoming disorderly.
Counterprotests were also staged by the group Stand Up to Racism .
Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez
