UK police arrest mistakenly released asylum-seeker whose sexual assault case sparked anti-migrant protests
By Billy Stockwell, CNN
London (CNN) — British police have arrested an asylum-seeker who was mistakenly released from prison on Friday while serving a 12-month sentence for sexual assault following a “fast-moving and complex” manhunt.
Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu was jailed in September for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl while staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping, England – a hotel just outside of London used by the government to help house asylum seekers.
“Hadush Kebatu, who was released in error from HMP Chelmsford on Friday morning, has been arrested,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement Sunday.
He was arrested by officers in the Finsbury Park area of London at around 8:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET), police said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday that Kebatu will be deported from the UK following his arrest and vowed to make sure “this doesn’t happen again.”
Kebatu’s case fuelled a wave of anti-migrant demonstrations across the country in August, with some holding protests outside the Bell Hotel – fueled by those on the far-right – which turned violent.
On Friday, Essex Police said it was informed by the UK’s prison service at 12:57 p.m. local time (7:57 a.m. ET) of an “error” surrounding the release of an individual.
Police quickly launched a manhunt for Kebatu, with British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy also announcing an “urgent investigation” into the mistaken release.
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