The arrest of an Ethiopian national in Finsbury Park after days on the run has sparked widespread outrage and revived heated debate over immigration and government accountability.
The case has quickly become a flashpoint for anti-migrant sentiment, with critics accusing authorities of negligence and rights groups warning that the rhetoric surrounding the incident risks fuelling xenophobia.
According to The Wandsworth Times, 32-year-old Hadush Kebatu, a convicted sex offender, was apprehended by Metropolitan Police officers in Finsbury Park, north London, at about 08:30 local time (09:30 SAST) on Sunday, 26 October.
Kebatu had been accidentally released from HMP Chelmsford two days earlier instead of being deported. He was convicted in September of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl while living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex.
Police said Kebatu took a train from Chelmsford to Stratford upon release and was later spotted in Hackney and Dalston carrying a white bag.
Following a public tip-off, officers found him in Finsbury Park, where he was detained without resistance.
“This has been a diligent and fast-paced investigation,” said Commander James Conway of the Metropolitan Police.
“Information from the public led officers to Finsbury Park, and I am extremely grateful for their support.”
Kebatu has since been handed back to the custody of the Prison Service for deportation procedures .
The case has drawn sharp criticism of the Home Office and prison authorities for what opposition lawmakers called a “catastrophic administrative failure.”
However, beyond the outrage over the error, the incident has sparked a wave of anti-migrant rhetoric online, with some political commentators framing Kebatu’s release as proof of what they call “a broken asylum system.”
Rights groups, including the Refugee Council and Liberty, have condemned the reaction as dangerously xenophobic.
They say the case is being used to stigmatise asylum seekers and migrants, many of whom already face discrimination in housing and employment.
Analysts say the political and social climate in the UK has grown increasingly hostile toward migrants.
A recent Al Jazeera report noted that the United Kingdom is experiencing a resurgence of racist sentiment, driven in part by inflammatory political messaging that links immigration to crime and social instability.
The report argued that this atmosphere has emboldened far-right movements and normalised anti-immigrant rhetoric in mainstream politics .
Public concern has also centred on security and the integrity of deportation procedures.
Opposition MPs have called for a parliamentary inquiry into how a convicted sex offender awaiting deportation could be mistakenly freed.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has ordered an internal review but urged the public to “avoid spreading divisive narratives that could endanger community cohesion.”
