Former British Soldier Accused of Espionage Contacts Iranian Forces Before Double Agent Claims
A former British soldier, Daniel Khalife, 23, is currently on trial for allegedly gathering sensitive military information for Iran after escaping from Wandsworth prison last year. During the proceedings at Woolwich Crown Court, it was revealed that Khalife made contact with Iranian security forces and subsequently expressed a desire to work as a double agent to MI6.
Khalife stands accused of extracting details about active members of the armed forces through a personnel system. He has denied all charges against him.
The prosecution emphasized that Iran poses a significant threat to UK national security. Khalife, who was raised in Kingston, south-west London, by his Iranian-born mother, enlisted in the Army in September 2018, just two weeks shy of his 17th birthday. Following a 23-week training course at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, he joined the Royal Corps of Signals, a unit that specializes in communications, IT, and cyber support.
The court heard that Khalife successfully passed a security clearance before beginning his specialized training in 2019, completing a year-long program in early 2020. He was later assigned to the 16th Signal Regiment in Stafford, which is responsible for delivering advanced digital communication and satellite services to the Army.
Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC stressed the importance of security in military communications, stating, “When the security of those systems is at risk, so is the operational capability of the Army itself.”
In April 2019, Khalife allegedly initiated contact with an individual linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran. During a police interview in 2022, he claimed he was connected to Hamed Ghashghavi, an associate of the Iranian security apparatus, and later transferred to an English-speaking handler. Heywood noted, “His aim in doing so was clearly to offer himself as an asset to Iran’s external security apparatus.”
The court was informed that Khalife later attempted to convey to MI6 that he wanted to be a double agent. He reportedly sent a message through MI6’s website under a pseudonym, stating that he had been asked to provide information to the Iranian government. He claimed to have sent them a fake document for which he received $2,000 (£1,500), left in a dog poo bag in Mill Hill Park, north London. The jury viewed a selfie of Khalife taken in the park alongside a photo of the envelope found in the bag.
Heywood described Khalife’s actions as serious, saying, “Over a period of more than two years, Mr. Khalife collected a vast amount of information, both digitally and on paper, while serving as a soldier of the British Army, tasked with protecting national security.”
The trial also revealed that after being released on bail, Khalife allegedly fled his barracks, leaving behind canisters and wires designed to resemble an explosive device.
Khalife is accused of escaping from HMP Wandsworth in south London on September 6, 2023, by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery lorry. He was apprehended three days later on a canal towpath in west London. The trial is anticipated to last around six weeks.
