The Canadian Press Published Saturday, July 23, 2022 9:42 PM EDT Last Updated Saturday, July 23, 2022 9:42 PM EDT
COQUITLAM, BC — RCMP say the images they released of two men who allegedly helped an accused murderer escape custody were actually stock footage and not photos of the suspects.
Const. Deanna Law says in a statement that investigators believe the photos left by Rabih Alkhalil’s associates look like them, but they are, in fact, different people.
Alkhalil, who goes by the first name “Robby,” disappeared just three weeks before court documents show his trial for first-degree murder was expected to conclude in BC Supreme Court.
He is one of three men charged in the January 2012 murder of Sandip Duhre, 36, who was shot while sitting in a busy downtown Vancouver restaurant.
Police previously said Alkhalil, 35, escaped from the North Fraser Pre-Trial Center in Port Coquitlam, B.C., on Thursday in a white Ford Econoline van with two people who were prison contractors or posing as contractors .
Law says the van has been recovered and the RCMP has engaged partner agencies from across Canada, North America and the world to find Alkhalil.
“The suspects who helped Alkhalil escape are believed to bear a strong resemblance to the photos they left behind, but these images are not them,” Law said in the statement.
“As with many complex investigations, information is changing rapidly as we move forward. For this case, time is of the essence and it is important to keep the public as informed as possible even though the facts could change as we move forward.”