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Rabih (Robbie) Alkhalil, 35, and his two accomplices have now been tentatively identified.
North Fraser Pretrial Ceantre in Port Coquitlam. Photo by Mike Bell
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Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said BC Corrections will investigate how an accused murderer was able to escape from the North Fraser Pretrial Center Thursday night with the help of two Americans.
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Farnworth said Friday that police are doing everything they can to capture Rabih (Robbie) Alkhalil, 35, and his two accomplices, who have now been tentatively identified.
The two men posed as contractors working at the Port Coquitlam jail, where they helped Alkhalil escape wearing black overalls and a construction vest.
Several sources said a high-end plasma torch was used in the escape. The three fled the jail at 1451 Kingsway in a white Econoline van shortly before 7 p.m
Prison contractors are subject to security screening, including criminal background checks, several sources said.
Farnworth said the escape appeared to have been elaborate and well-planned with “the van and the uniforms”.
“There is a full investigation into what happened,” Farnworth said, adding that the probe will “identify how it happened, why it happened, and then ensure that if there are any gaps or failures, they are changed and fixed, so that this cannot happen again.”
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He said he understands the public concern about the prison break.
“It shows that we always have to make sure that in terms of security in our facilities, the correct protocols are followed and it’s as tight as possible.”
One source said that if Alkhalil is not found quickly, he may never be found.
“If they don’t find him in the first 48 hours, he’s gone.”
Coquitlam RCMP Const. Deanna Lowe said police were aware that Alkhalil could try to flee the country “using his connections in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.”
Time is of the essence to get Alkhalil’s face at any airport, train station, taxi, rental car company or anywhere else he may be hiding, she said.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest across Canada pending an Interpol red notice.
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Alkhalil is charged with the January 2012 first-degree murder of gangster Sandeep Dure in the lobby of the Sheraton Wall Centre. He is also accused of conspiring with others to kill Sukh Dhak, an associate of Dure, between August 6, 2011 and August 8, 2012. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges.
The case against Alkhalil and co-defendant Larry Amero, who is charged only with conspiracy, was scheduled to resume Friday morning.
Instead, Judge Miriam Masonville told the six-man, six-woman jury that Alkhalil was missing and that the trial would continue without him.
“Members of the jury, by now some or all of you will have heard that Mr. Alkhalil has gone into hiding. I will instruct you later what use, if any, you can make of this fact,” said Maisonville. “I remind you again that both defendants, including Mr. Alkhalil, who is not before you, are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the Crown beyond a reasonable doubt.”
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“The trial will continue in Mr Alkhalil’s absence and the Crown will have to prove his guilt to you beyond a reasonable doubt, as will Mr Amero.”
She also told jurors to “pay no further attention to any media accounts or anything you read or hear on the internet, social media or otherwise.”
“This direction is consistent with my original direction to you that you should decide this case based on the evidence that is presented in this courtroom,” Maisonville said before adjourning the trial until next Wednesday.
The case began in June 2021 and closing arguments are now underway. Two weeks ago, the crown prosecutor told jurors that the main piece of evidence regarding the motive was the notorious Aug. 14, 2011, killing in Kelowna of gangster Jonathan Bacon.
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The trial heard that Bacon was one of five people, including Amero, who were in a Porsche Cayenne that was sprayed with bullets outside the Delta Grande Hotel in Kelowna. The driver, Amero, was seriously injured in the shooting.
The Crown previously said the two accused were members of the Wolfpack – a rival of the Duhre/Dhak group.
Law said Alkhalil is considered extremely dangerous. She said police were initially called by the North Fraser team around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 42 minutes after Alkhalil and his accomplices left.
“The RCMP are currently working closely with BC Corrections and the investigation is ongoing,” she said.
Alkhalil is described as 5’10” and 166 pounds with short black hair and brown eyes.
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“If you see Alkhalil, police ask that you stay away from him and instead call 911 immediately,” Law said.
Alkhalil is not the first person to flee North Fraser.
In August 2008, Dean Douglas Sykes identified himself as his cellmate and was taken to court, where he was released like the other man. When he was caught a few days later, he received a 14-month sentence.
And in November 2007, gangster Omid Tahvili bribed a prison guard to help him escape from North Fraser. He was never recaptured.
BC corrections officer Edwin Tickne was later sentenced to three years and three months in prison for breach of trust. The Crown lost an appeal to increase the sentence.
Tahvili’s escape was captured on video cameras showing Tickne “escorting Mr. Tahvili through four security doors between his living quarters and the public exit of the remand center where they separated,” the BC Court of Appeal noted.
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Ticne then “facilitated Mr. Tahvili’s passage through the security doors by pressing buttons that alerted staff in the central control area, who unlocked the doors after identifying the respondent and an individual who was apparently a contract cleaner.”
Tahvili had changed into clothes matching those worn by contract cleaners at the investigation center.
Ticne left the jail and “drove to a nearby service station where he was to receive $50,000 to get Mr. Tahvili out of jail,” the court ruling said. But “nobody met him and he got no money.”
At the time of his escape, Tahvili was awaiting sentencing for kidnapping, sexual assault and threatening death or bodily harm. He was sentenced in absentia to six years and three months.
kbolan@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/kbolan
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