Daniel Khalife tells court he ‘thought British security services would be impressed with him’

Former British soldier, Daniel Khalife, who is accused of passing secret information to Iran, thought British security services would be “impressed” with him after he covertly gathered the names of special forces personnel, his trial has heard.

Daniel Khalife, 23, told Woolwich Crown Court he was “surprised” when he discovered a “flaw” in an internal HR system for booking leave, allowing him to find further details about the soldiers on a promotions list in 2021.

He took a photo of a handwritten list of 15 soldiers, including some serving in the Special Air Service and Special Boat Service, the court was told previously.

Prosecutors claim Khalife was paid in cash by the Iranian intelligence service for secret information gathered during his time in the Army.

Khalife said he was worried about being “ignored again” by the security services, and wanted to prove he was someone with “access” to important material.

He said: “I wanted to be given the opportunity to explain myself. I have always had a gift for exposing flaws in security. I was the only person in the Ministry of Defence who discovered this flaw.”

Khalife told the court he only tested seven named from the internal promotions spreadsheet against the HR flaw.

“I thought the security services were going to be impressed with me,” he said.

“It was a way of advertising my skillset.”

Giving evidence at the court earlier today, Daniel Khalife said he wanted to “draw out” the Iranian intelligence officers he was in touch with and “strengthen the relationship based on lies”.

The 23-year-old told jurors he “considered potentially travelling to Iran” while still a serving soldier, but feared there could be consequences if they found out the information he was providing was “fictitious”.

“I felt this would be dangerous,” he said.

When police arrested him and searched his room, they found a number of “completely fake” documents purporting to be from MPs, senior military officials and the security services, his trial heard previously.

Khalife told the court he thought up a plan to “digitise” the documents, by putting a laptop in a “fake diplomatic bag” to make it seem like it had been intercepted.

He intended to try and sell the device, jurors heard.

Asked about the use of WhatsApp groups to share orders and even secret documents in the army, Khalife said the practice was “standard procedure”, adding that it would be “impossible” to operate without it.

The former soldier is alleged to have fled his army barracks in January 2023 when he realised he would face criminal charges over allegations he passed classified information to Iran’s intelligence service.

Later, while on remand, he is alleged to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth in September 2023 by tying himself to the underside of a food delivery truck using bedsheets.

As well as the prison escape, he also faces charges contrary to the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act, and is accused of perpetrating a bomb hoax.

He denies all the charges, and the trial continues.

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