A former British soldier whose escape from a London prison sparked was convicted on Thursday of spying for .
A jury at Woolwich Crown Court in London found Daniel Khalife, 23, guilty of espionage and terrorism charges, including eliciting or attempting to elicit information for a person preparing for a terrorist attack.
Prosecutors said he could have “seriously harmed” military personnel and “prejudiced” national security.
Khalife was found to have breached the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act, having gathered “a very large body of restricted and classified material” while posted in and the .
Prosecutors accused Khalife of playing a “cynical game” after he was contacted by a man linked to Iranian intelligence when he joined the army at the age of 17.
Elaborate escape before being found cycling
Khalife admitted to escaping from a London prison in September 2023 strapped to the underside of a food truck. He was reported to have been working in the prison kitchen at the time of his escape.
His disappearance led to a high-profile manhunt. He was arrested 75 hours later when he was spotted cycling on a canal tow path. He made an attempt to contact the Iranians before he was found.
“Daniel Khalife used his employment to undermine national security,” said Bethan David from the Crown Prosecution Service.
“He surreptitiously sought out and obtained copies of secret and sensitive information which he knew were protected and passed these on to individuals he believed to be acting on behalf of the Iranian state.”
“The sharing of the information could have exposed military personnel to serious harm, or a risk to life, and prejudiced the safety and security of the United Kingdom.”
Khalife said he wanted to act as a ‘double agent’
The former soldier was accused of gathering information that might be useful to an enemy, namely Iran — which is an offense under the Official Secrets Act. He was also charged with obtaining information likely to be useful for terrorism and with a bomb hoax.
He denied those charges, saying he wanted to be a “double agent” for British intelligence.
Khalife said he was a patriot and that he loathed the Iranian government. “Me and my family are against the regime in Iran,” he told the jury.
But Khalife was found guilty of the terrorism and espionage charges by a jury after more than 23 hours of deliberation.
He was found not guilty of perpetrating a bomb hoax.
jsi/nm (AP, AFP, Reuters)
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