Daniel Khalife: Former British soldier found guilty of spying for Iran
Image credit: Metropolitan Police
Former British Army veteran Daniel Khalife has been convicted of espionage on behalf of Iran.
Khalife, who fled from jail while waiting for his trial, gathered intelligence and shared it with Tehran. He was discovered to have compiled a list of names of special forces personnel. However, he was found not guilty of a charge related to staging a bomb threat at his military base.
The 23-year-old confessed to escaping from Wandsworth prison in London in September 2023 by hiding underneath a food delivery truck, during his trial at Woolwich Crown Court.
Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb informed the court at Woolwich Crown Court that Khalife can expect "a lengthy prison term" when he is sentenced early next year.
Khalife, who violated the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act, displayed no apparent feelings as the verdicts were announced.
Prosecutors claimed that Khalife was manipulating the situation when he reached out to an individual associated with Iranian intelligence shortly after enlisting in the army in September 2018. He later informed MI6 that he was interested in becoming a double agent.
The court heard that he gathered confidential data that could be seriously harmful if it fell into the wrong hands.
Khalife reached out to an individual associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) through Facebook.
Image credit: MET POLICE
The UK will never find out what the highly classified information Khalife transmitted to Iran consisted of.
He established connections with Iranian contacts and, at one time, was tasked with retrieving $2,000 (£1,500) that had been placed in a bag intended for dog waste in a park in north London.
Bethan David, who leads the counter-terrorism division of the Crown Prosecution Service, stated that Khalife, as a soldier, was "hired and given the responsibility to safeguard and defend the nation's security."
"However, for his own reasons, Daniel Khalife exploited his job to jeopardize national security."
She noted that his disclosure of information "might have put military personnel in significant danger or at risk of death, and jeopardized the safety and security of the United Kingdom."
**The Hunt for Daniel Khalife**
Authorities are on the lookout for Daniel Khalife, who managed to break free from Wandsworth Prison in London by hiding underneath a delivery truck.
While serving in the military, Khalife compiled a list of 15 active-duty soldiers, including a few from the special forces.
Prosecutors think he forwarded the list to Iran before removing any traces of it.
He rejected the idea that he sent it and asserted that the information he shared was mostly inaccurate. Nevertheless, it appears that he transmitted at least two classified documents—one related to drones and another concerning "Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance."
The UK may never discover the most sensitive information that Khalife shared, as a majority of the messages he exchanged with his contacts on the encrypted messaging app Telegram have been erased.
His attorney, Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, described the double agent scheme as "unfortunate," suggesting it resembled something more like "Scooby-Doo" than "007."
Khalife was the target of a widely publicized search after he escaped from prison. He was captured 75 hours later after being seen riding a bike along a canal path. Before his capture, he tried to reach out to the Iranians by sending a Telegram message that read just: "I wait."
Check out the surveillance footage that captures Daniel Khalife's escape.
He managed to flee while awaiting trial for violations of the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act, as well as for staging a bomb hoax.
He was apprehended after escaping from his military base, Beacon Barracks in Stafford, in January 2023, upon realizing that he was likely to be charged for allegedly sharing confidential information.
During the trial, jurors learned that a fake bomb, created from three taped-together nitrous oxide canisters, was discovered on his desk when he didn't show up for work.
The police officers who went to the location thought the device was a hoax. Nevertheless, they summoned a bomb disposal team, and as a precaution, five apartment buildings were evacuated.
Following his arrest, Khalife informed the police that he intended to present himself to UK security services, claiming to have emailed MI6 as early as 2019.
After the verdict was announced, Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, stated, "The danger that countries like Iran pose to the UK is quite significant. Therefore, it is highly irresponsible and risky for a soldier to be sharing confidential military information with them."
Khalife's getaway from Wandsworth has sparked significant concerns regarding the prison's security and staffing levels. As a result, 40 prisoners were moved to different facilities while the circumstances surrounding the escape were investigated.
Damien Hinds, who previously served as prisons minister, noted that approximately 40% of prison officers were absent from their shifts at Wandsworth on the day Khalife escaped. However, the Ministry of Justice maintained that the facility had enough staff on duty.
A representative for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated that Khalife's situation was "a unique occurrence." However, they emphasized that these issues are regarded with "utmost seriousness." They added that this is also why the government is committed to taking decisive steps and demanding accountability from the Iranian regime.
