A migrant who was mistakenly released from prison has been arrested following a police manhunt.
Hadush Kebatu was arrested by Metropolitan Police officers in the Finsbury Park area of London at around 8.30am on Sunday morning.
Commander James Conway said: “This has been 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.
“I am extremely grateful to the public for their support following our appeal, which assisted in locating Mr Kebatu.”
Timeline of how manhunt for wrongly-released sex offender migrant Hadush Kebatu unfolded
Hadush Kebatu: CCTV images show last sightings of wanted sex offender after he was released from prison in error
Wrongly-released migrant ‘tried to return to prison 4 or 5 times’, witness says
Kebatu was freed in error from HMP Chelmsford in Essex on Friday instead of being handed over to immigration officials for deportation – one month into a 12-month sentence.
The Ethiopian national had been found guilty in September of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
His crimes while staying at The Bell Hotel in Epping sparked weeks of protests over the summer.
The Met Police led the search for Kebatu, alongside Essex Police and the British Transport Police.
A lorry driver, who was delivering equipment to Chelmsford jail on Friday, told Sky News he saw the “confused” offender outside the facility being directed by prison staff to the city’s railway station following his release.
The witness, called Sim, said Kebatu came out of the jail saying, “Where am I going? What am I doing?” – hanging around for about 90 minutes as he tried to find out where he should be going.
Read more:
How many prisoners are released by mistake?
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Sim said the offender returned to the prison “four or five times” but was turned away.
He said Kebatu knew he should be deported but the prison staff were “basically sending him away” and saying to him, “Go, you’ve been released, you go”.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Kebatu was spotted later in Chelmsford city centre asking for assistance before getting on a train to London.
The last sighting of him before he was found and detained was in Dalston CLR James Library in Dalston Square on Friday evening.
