Daniel Khalife – live: Ex-soldier accused of escaping from prison wants to be MI6 ‘double agent’ for Iran

The court heard that Daniel Khalife traveled to Istanbul in August 2020, after making contact with Iranian agents and was told that the trip should be disguised “as a holiday”.

While in Turkey, he kept in touch with his handlers before returning and maintained a close relationship with a contact named ‘David Smith’ on his iPhone.

In a text message shown to the jury, Khalife appeared to promise: “I will not leave the military until you tell me. 25 more years.”

Correspondence also shows referring to the previous security incident, which the colleague blamed with Khalife said there was “no suspicion” in him, and that “they believe me”.

The courtroom where Daniel Khalife is on trial at Woolwich Crown Court has now been packed, with prosecutor Mark Heywood KC due to continue to open.

The jury and Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb had entered and were seated.

Daniel Khalife, 23-year-old accused of various espionage-related charges and from prison escape, raised in Kingston, south London, by an Iranian mother.

He joined the British Army in September 2018 as a junior soldier, two weeks before his 17th birthday, jurors were told.

After completing a 23-week course at the Army Foundation College in North Yorkshire, he chose to join the Royal Corps of Signals which provided communications, IT and cyber support, the court heard.

Khalife passed security clearance – giving him access to classified information – before undertaking specialist training in Dorset in 2019, the court was told.

He may have started thinking about espionage as early as March 2019, Woolwich Crown Court heard.

Khalife completed a year-long specialist training course in early 2020, before being posted to the 16th Signal Regiment in Stafford, the jury heard.

He was first accused of making contact with Iran in 2019.

We heard the first details of Daniel Khalife’s alleged contact with Iranian intelligence at Woolwich Crown Court yesterday.

In January 2022, a former British soldier told police he had been in contact with someone he knew in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a court heard. She told police she was transferred to an English-speaking handler.

Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC said his aim was to “offer himself as an asset to Iran’s external security apparatus”.

“The prosecution’s case is that he began the process of obtaining, recording and communicating material, information of a kind which could or was intended to be useful to the enemy of Britain,” Heywood added.

But Khalife claimed it was a double bluff and that his real intention was to sell himself to the British security agencies, the jury was told.

Khalife used a false name to communicate with MI6 through the “contact us” page on his website – asking to work as a “double agent”, the court heard.

He allegedly revealed in an email that he had been paid 2,000 US dollars (£1,500) in payment to deliver Iranian documents – which he said were fake. The money was left in a “dog litter bag” in Mill Hill Park, a jury heard.

Police spoke to Khalife and he was released on bail before he fled the barracks, the court heard.

And Khalife is accused of huddling himself to the bottom of a food delivery truck to escape from HMP Wandsworth on September 6, 2023, while on remand on terror and espionage charges.

Daniel Khalife is accused of gathering classified information before handing it over to “Iranian agents”.

The 23-year-old faces four charges at Woolwich Crown Court – all of which have been dismissed.

He is accused of violating the Official Secrets Act by collecting, publishing or transmitting information that could be useful to the enemy, in this case Iranian intelligence, between May 1, 2019 and January 6, 2022.

Khalife was also charged under the Terrorism Act for soliciting information about armed forces personnel on August 2, 2021, carrying out a bomb hoax on January 2, 2023 and escaping from prison on July 21, 2023.

He denied all four charges.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the trial of Daniel Khalife – the man who allegedly escaped from HMP Wandsworth in September last year – as it enters its second day.

The Independent Holly Evans will report live from Woolwich Crown Court as Khalife stands trial for allegedly selling secrets to Iran in breach of the Official Secrets Act, among other terror and espionage charges.

Stay tuned here for regular updates throughout the day.