Daniel Khalife guilty of spying for Iran but cleared of carrying out a bomb hoax
The 23-year-old, who escaped from Wandsworth prison in September 2023, has been on trial at Woolwich Crown Court
Daniel Khalife has been found guilty of spying for Iran but cleared of carrying out a bomb hoax, at Woolwich Crown Court.
On Thursday morning the jury convicted Khalife of breaching the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act, after 23 hours of deliberation.
He was acquitted of perpetrating a bomb hoax.
Khalife, of Kingston, who was wearing a blue shirt and pale trousers, calmly replaced his glasses as the verdicts were read out, and did not show any emotion.
The 23-year-old hit the headlines after escaping Wandsworth prison, by tying himself to a food truck in September 2023, leading to a three day man hunt taking place.
While on the run, Khalife bought clothes from Marks & Spencer and a coffee from McDonald’s in Richmond and walked beside the River Thames before being caught by police three days later.
As well as charges for escaping prison - which he initially denied but later admitted - Khalife has been on trial at Woolwich Crown Court on charges contrary to the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act, and was accused of perpetrating a bomb hoax.
Prosecutors had said he wanted a career working as a double agent to help British security services, and had covertly gathered "a very large body" of names of serving soldiers, including those in special forces.
Khalife, who was based in Stafford while serving in the British army, had took a photo of a handwritten list of 15 service personnel, including some from the Special Air Service and Special Boat Service, having been sent an internal spreadsheet of promotions in June 2021, his trial at Woolwich Crown Court heard.
His actions could have put military personnel’s lives at risk and “prejudiced” the UK’s national security, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Bethan David, from the CPS, said: “As a serving soldier of the British Army Daniel Khalife was employed and entrusted to uphold and protect the national security of this country. But, for purposes of his own, Daniel Khalife used his employment to undermine national security.
“The prosecution was able to use mobile phone evidence, notes written by Khalife himself and CCTV footage to piece together and demonstrate that Khalife had gathered and shared much of this classified information, accepted hundreds of pounds for his efforts and even travelled to Turkey as part of his unlawful conduct.
“It is against the law to collate and share secret and sensitive information for a purpose against the interests of the United Kingdom. Such hostile and illegal activities jeopardise the national security of the United Kingdom, and the CPS will always seek to prosecute anyone that carries out counter state threats.”
More to follow...