Daniel Khalife convicted of spying offences

Daniel Khalife, the former soldier who escaped from prison last year, has been convicted of spying offences.

Khalife was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of espionage and terrorism offences following an investigation by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command which found he had been sharing sensitive military information with Iranian agents.

The investigation began in November 2021, after he anonymously contacted MI5 to say that he had established contact with Iranian agents and wanted to become a ‘double agent’.

Khalife was arrested in January 2022, and police seized devices and documents from his room at at Staffordshire Barracks.

The investigation found that Khalife was in possession of various sensitive documents and information, including details of soldiers who were attached to highly sensitive military units. It was also found that he had made contact with Iranian agents and had passed sensitive military information to them over a period of two-and-a-half years.

He was reported missing by his Army unit in January 2023, and when his room was searched, what appeared to be a potential improvised explosive device was found. He was arrested and charged later that month.

Whilst awaiting trial at HMP Wandsworth, Khalife escaped underneath a food delivery vehicle. He was found after a three-day man hunt.

On 11 November, he pleaded guilty to escaping from HMP Wandsworth. On 28 November, he was found guilty of passing on information to Iran, contrary to section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 and of eliciting or attempted to elicit information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to section 58A of the Terrorism Act 2000.

He was found not guilty of creating a bomb hoax at the Army barracks in Staffordshire.

He is due to be sentenced on 12 December.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said: “The threat to the UK from states such as Iran is very serious, so for a soldier in the Army to be sharing sensitive military material and information with them is extremely reckless and dangerous.

“Khalife claimed that he wanted to help the UK’s security by becoming a so-called ‘double-agent’ but the reality we uncovered is that he simply put UK security at great risk by what he was doing.

“Then, when he was in prison awaiting trial, he escaped and went on the run. But thanks to some brilliant police work – here in the Met, but also across the country – coupled with the fantastic support of the public, we were able to find and arrest him to make sure he faced justice.

“I’d like to praise all those who worked on this investigation – those who looked into Khalife’s activity in sharing information with the Iranians, but also the many colleagues from agencies and police forces who assisted us when he was at large.

“I hope this serves as a warning that the illegal sharing of information in this way will be treated extremely seriously by security services and police and we will use the full force of the law against those who put the UK’s security at risk.”