Daniel Abed Khalife, a former British soldier, has been found guilty of aiding Iran by gathering confidential information and attempting to benefit individuals linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
During the trial at Woolwich Crown Court, prosecutor Mark Heywood revealed that Khalife compiled the names of special forces personnel and collected sensitive information between May 2019 and January 2022.
Khalife, who was discharged from the armed forces after being charged, also faced accusations of placing a fake bomb on a desk before fleeing his barracks in January 2023. While awaiting trial for these and other charges, Khalife escaped from Wandsworth Prison in London in September 2023 by clinging to the underside of a delivery van, sparking a nationwide manhunt before his recapture.
The 23-year-old denied all allegations, claiming he sought to act as a “double agent” for British intelligence services. Khalife described himself as a patriot, asserting that both he and his family were opposed to the Iranian government.
However, after over 23 hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Khalife under the Official Secrets Act and terrorism laws, finding him guilty of collecting information useful to an enemy and fabricating a bomb.
