Former soldier Daniel Khalife found guilty of spying for Iran

A former serviceman, whose escape from prison sparked an extensive search in 2023, has been found guilty of espionage on behalf of Iran. However, he was acquitted of charges related to a bomb hoax.

Daniel Khalife was convicted on two charges connected to his espionage activities on Thursday. Dressed in a blue shirt and light-colored pants, he calmly put his glasses back on while the verdicts were announced and displayed no visible emotion.

The 23-year-old confessed during his trial that he had escaped from HMP Wandsworth, located in south-west London. Khalife had attached himself to the bottom of a food delivery truck while awaiting trial for espionage charges.

The prosecutors alleged that Khalife was engaging in a "cynical game" by asserting that he aimed to become a double agent to assist British intelligence agencies. However, they highlighted that he actually collected "a significant amount of sensitive and classified information."

Khalife secretly collected the names of active soldiers, including some from special forces. During the proceedings at Woolwich crown court, it was revealed that he photographed a handwritten list containing the names of 15 military personnel, which included members of the SAS and the Special Boat Service. This information was obtained after he received an internal spreadsheet detailing promotions in June 2021.

He refuted the allegation of sending the list to the Iranians and asserted that he primarily transmitted irrelevant or fabricated documents. In his defense, Khalife's lawyer, Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, argued that his attempts at being a double agent were rather clumsy.

During Khalife's trial, it was revealed that he might have put Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's life at risk by sending a fraudulent intelligence report to Iran, claiming that the UK government was unwilling to engage in discussions about her release. The jury learned that he distributed a document to Iranian operatives called "Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe intelligence options," which he had fabricated in 2021.

Prosecutors claimed that he acted carelessly when he sent the document, potentially leading to negative outcomes for Zaghari-Ratcliffe. She was released only after the government decided to resolve a £400 million debt that dates back to the 1970s.

The fake document created by the ex-soldier stated: “No progress will be made in bringing Nazanin back to the UK unless the debt owed to the Islamic Republic is settled first. The UK won't appear to pay ransoms to unfriendly countries... criminals have a history of using kidnapping for monetary demands.”

During a police interview, which was shared with the jury, Khalife mentioned that he created "forged documents" in an effort to gain the trust of the Iranians.

In January 2022, when the police apprehended him and examined his room at MoD Stafford, they discovered multiple "totally forged" documents, both in digital and printed formats, which falsely claimed to be from Members of Parliament, high-ranking military personnel, and intelligence agencies. According to prosecutors, Khalife ensured that there was no trace of the documents he sent.

Following his conviction, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) stated that Khalife's behavior may have endangered the lives of military members and compromised national security. Bethan David, the head of counter-terrorism at the CPS, remarked, "As an active soldier in the British army, Daniel Khalife was hired and relied upon to safeguard the national security of our nation. However, for his own personal reasons, he exploited his role to weaken that security."

He secretly searched for and acquired classified and sensitive information that he knew was protected. He then passed this information to people he believed were working for the Iranian government. Sharing this data could have put military personnel in serious danger or at risk of losing their lives, and it could have jeopardized the safety and security of the United Kingdom.

Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the counter-terrorism division of the Met police, stated, “I want this to be a clear warning that unauthorized distribution of information like this will be taken very seriously by law enforcement and security agencies. We will apply the full strength of the law against anyone who jeopardizes the security of the UK.”

While he was trying to escape, Khalife made one final effort to reach out to the Iranians before he was discovered, sending a Telegram message that read: "I am waiting."

There was significant worry that he might attempt to flee again during his trial, so when it was time for him to testify, he was escorted to and from the witness stand in handcuffs.

Khalife explained that he made his escape with the hope of being placed in a high-security unit (HSU) at a different facility after being caught again, avoiding contact with “sex offenders” and “terrorists.”

Mrs. Justice Cheema-Grubb informed the jurors that she had inquired with Khalife whether he wished to have the charge of escaping from prison presented to him again. He responded, “I admit I’m guilty.”

The court was informed that he arranged a phony escape for August 21, aiming to be transferred to the HSU. However, after realizing that the incident had not been communicated to higher prison authorities, he concluded that his only choice was to attempt a real escape.

Khalife was found guilty of offenses related to the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act.