UPDATE: CCTV released in manhunt for Hadush Kebatu

UPDATE: 23:28hrs on Saturday, 25 October

We continue to carry out extensive enquiries as the manhunt for Hadush Kebatu continues.

Officers have now confirmed that he was last seen shortly before 20:00hrs on Friday evening in the Dalston area of Hackney.

He was still wearing his prison-issue grey tracksuit top and bottoms, but is now carrying his belongings in a distinctive white bag with pictures of avocados on it.

We have released CCTV footage from slightly earlier in the evening, at around 18:00hrs, when he was seen inside a library in Dalston Square.

Additional officers have been deployed to the area to carry out further searches, but we are appealing for the help of local residents to report any sightings as soon as possible.

Anyone who sees Kebatu should call 999 immediately.

The footage and two additional images, one of which shows the new bag clearly, can be found at the bottom of this page.

Original release:

The Metropolitan Police has taken over the manhunt for Hadush Kebatu who was released in error from HMP Chelmsford yesterday morning.

Met officers have been supporting the Essex Police-led operation to locate Kebatu since it was confirmed that he boarded a London-bound train from Chelmsford Station at 12:41hrs on Friday.

Extensive enquiries have been carried out in the hours since and based on those enquiries, there is a high degree of confidence that Kebatu is likely still in the London area.

As a result, responsibility for the manhunt was transferred from Essex Police to the Met shortly after 11:30hrs today.

Commander James Conway said: “Finding Hadush Kebatu is a top priority.

"The manhunt is being led by an experienced Senior Investigating Officer. He has teams from the Specialist Crime Command with expertise in tracking down wanted people at his disposal, as well as other resources from across the Met.

“We’ve confirmed that Kebatu got off the London-bound train at Stratford station.

“We are examining CCTV from that area and further afield, including on the transport network, to establish information about his subsequent movements.

“We will provide further updates when we can, but I hope the press and the public will understand why it would be unhelpful to the effectiveness of the manhunt if we were to provide a detailed running commentary.

“Anyone who sees Kebatu, or has information about his whereabouts, should call 999 immediately.”