Former soldier accused of spying for Iran and escaping UK prison

Daniel Khalife, a former soldier, is accused of passing secrets to Iran while posing for selfies on an alleged spy mission in Istanbul. He took photographs of his £750 hotel room with views of the city, reportedly after flying out to meet Iranian contacts and deliver secret information.

At 18, Khalife filmed himself outside the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel, turning the camera in excitement. An Iranian agent advised him to make the mission appear as a holiday, assuring him not to worry about expenses, according to jurors.

Khalife, now 23, set off a nationwide manhunt after escaping from Wandsworth Prison last September, where he was held on espionage charges. He allegedly used bed sheets to attach himself to the underside of a food delivery truck before being captured in West London three days later.

British Army soldier, 21, ‘passed secrets to the Iranians before escaping from HMP Wandsworth’, court hears

Daniel Abed Khalife, 23, has gone on trial on charges of collecting sensitive military information for Iran.https://t.co/Gz6BtsvtDR pic.twitter.com/r5naYiZBDo

— WeGotitBack 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@NotFarLeftAtAll) October 9, 2024

Here’s accused spy Daniel Khalife posing outside the £750 a night Hilton Hotel in Istanbul, where he allegedly went to meet his Iranian handlers. He later escaped from jail under a food truck https://t.co/AuLpJ0PkTe pic.twitter.com/NrubUT7OD6

— CourtNewsUK (@CourtNewsUK) October 11, 2024

Woolwich Crown Court was told that Khalife spent a week in Istanbul in September 2020, meeting Iranian agents who praised him and addressed him as ‘mate’ and ‘pal’ in messages. One agent reportedly promised to pay him well in Iran and expressed anticipation for his visit to Tehran.

However, Khalife later complained that his plans to travel to Iran from Turkey fell through due to poor planning. Jurors were shown messages suggesting that Khalife delivered a ‘package’ to handlers during the trip but panicked when he didn’t receive a response.

A year earlier, Khalife contacted MI6, seeking a job as a ‘double agent’. He claimed to have been paid $2000 (£1,500) after deceiving the Iranians with fake documents. He allegedly emailed MI6 twice, expressing his desire to work as a double agent, but mistakenly referred to the agency as the ‘security service’.

In an email, Khalife stated that he created a fake document to build trust with the Iranians, who then paid him $2000 at a drop-off point in Barnet. He explained that his motive was to work as a double agent for the UK security services.

Jurors saw a selfie of Khalife at the meeting in Barnet and an image of a dog poo bag containing an envelope with £1500 cash, allegedly left by an Iranian agent.

Three months later, Khalife emailed MI6 again, claiming he had deceived Iran with Wikileaks information. He said he used already leaked information to present himself as a double agent for the UK security services.

Prosecutor Mark Heywood, KC, told jurors that Khalife’s actions were a ‘double bluff’. Khalife received £2,500 from the Iranian intelligence service after passing on a large amount of restricted and classified material over two years.

The court heard that Khalife had a rapid rise in the British Army while secretly passing secrets to Iran. He was ‘handpicked’ to join a regiment handling secret military communications and won a young soldier award at 16. However, shortly after being posted to the 16th Signal Regiment in Stafford, Khalife allegedly began offering information to Iran.

Khalife is accused of compiling names, service numbers, ranks, and units of 15 SAS and SBS soldiers for his handlers. He denies collecting information useful to an enemy between 1 May 2019 and 6 January 2022, contrary to the Official Secrets Act 1911.

He also denies attempting to elicit personal information about armed forces personnel that could be useful for terrorism, perpetrating a bomb hoax, and escaping prison.

The trial continues.