Former British soldier found guilty of spying for Iran

A former British soldier who escaped from prison ahead of his trial was found guilty of spying for Iran in a British court on Thursday but cleared of bomb hoax charges.

A jury at Woolwich Crown Court in south-east London found army soldier Daniel Khalife, 23, guilty of espionage and terrorism charges, including obtaining or attempting to obtain information useful to a person preparing an act of terrorism.

Khalife was found to have violated the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act. Prosecutors said he could “seriously harm” military personnel and “harm” national security.

Prosecutors accused Khalifa of playing a “cynical game” after joining the army and said he was contacted soon after by a man with ties to Iranian intelligence.

They said he later told MI6, Britain’s overseas intelligence agency, that he wanted to become a double agent.

The jury was told he collected “a huge amount of restricted and confidential material” over two and a half years while stationed in the United Kingdom and the United States before he was arrested and charged in 2023.

During the trial, Khalife admitted escaping from a London prison in September 2023 by being strapped to the underside of a food delivery truck; this loss sparked a nationwide manhunt.

“Daniel Khalife used his job to undermine national security,” said Bethan David of the Crown Prosecution Service, which prosecuted the case in England and Wales.

“He secretly sought and obtained copies of classified and sensitive information that he knew was protected and passed them on to individuals he believed were acting on behalf of the Iranian state.

“Sharing the information could expose military personnel to serious harm or risk to life and could undermine the safety and security of the United Kingdom.”

– ‘Reckless’ –

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former attorney general before entering politics, “welcomed” the decision, his spokesman said.

“Obviously it was a complex case and we thank our security partners, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service for their work to uncover this person’s crimes and bring them to justice,” he told reporters.

Khalife, who grew up in south-west London with his Iranian mother, joined the army in 2018 when he was 16.

He was accused of passing information, including the names of elite special forces personnel, to Iranian intelligence in exchange for cash between May 2019 and January 2022.

During the trial, jurors were shown a photo from Khalifa’s iPhone of a handwritten list of 15 soldiers, including their service numbers, ranks, initials, last names and units.

He allegedly remained in contact with Iranian handlers while he was posted to Fort Hood in Texas between February and April 2021, where he was given the second-highest level of NATO security clearance below “cosmic top secret.”

Prosecutors had also accused him of planting a makeshift bomb at an army barracks before escaping in January 2023, but the jury cleared Khalifa of the charge.

“The threat to the UK from states such as Iran is very serious, so it is extremely reckless and dangerous for a soldier in the Army to share sensitive military material and information with them,” said Dominic Murphy, Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Branch Manager. To command.

Caliph will be sentenced at a later date.