Daniel Khalife prison escape trial - live: Ex-soldier left package for Iranian agents in Turkey, court hears

Former soldier Daniel Khalife is charged with terrorism and espionage offences as well as with escaping from custody (Metropolitan Police/PA) (PA Media)
Former soldier Daniel Khalife is charged with terrorism and espionage offences as well as with escaping from custody (Metropolitan Police/PA) (PA Media)

A former British soldier accused of escaping from Wandsworth prison left a package in Turkey for his Iranian handlers, after offering to work for them for “25 plus years”, a court has heard.

Daniel Khalife, 23, had allegedly used his position in the Royal Corps of Signals, which granted him security clearance, to collect secret information. However, he later contacted MI6 to say he wanted to work for them as a “double agent”.

Jurors saw text messages between him and an Iranian contact named ‘David Smith’, in which he was told “We can work together for a lot of years.” The former soldier responded: “Absolutely. I won’t leave the military until you tell me too. 25 plus years.”

Despite this, Khalife made contact with MI6 through their “contact us” page and said he had provided the Iranian government with a fake document which he had left in a dog waste bag in Mill Hill Park.

After police caught up with him and he had been released on bail, Khalife absconded from his barracks, leaving cannisters and wires on his desk intended to look like an explosive device.

He is alleged to have later escaped from HMP Wandsworth in south London while on remand by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery lorry on 6 September 2023.

Key Points

  • Khalife promised handler to stay in the army for 25 years, court hears

  • Khalife sent screenshots to handlers after being handed NATO secret clearance

  • Who is Daniel Khalife?

Khalife used ‘trusted position’ in kitchens to escape Wandsworth Prison

15:28 , Holly Evans

Jurors heard that Khalife was remanded into HMP Wandsworth after appearing in court following his arrest in January 2023.

While at the Category B prison, he carried out work in the kitchens while awaiting his trial. It was through these duties on 6 September that he was able to “deliberately escape” under a food delivery lorry.

“He used his trusted role in the kitchens to achieve this. He had no permission to leave the prison estate and his absence was not accounted for until a headcount,” Mr Heywood KC. “All movement in the prison had to be suspended as a result.”

Khalife is accused of escaping HMP Wandsworth underneath a food delivery truck (PA) (PA Archive)
Khalife is accused of escaping HMP Wandsworth underneath a food delivery truck (PA) (PA Archive)

After being informed of the breakout, the lorry driver stopped the vehicle but failed to find anyone inside. Officers attended the scene on Upper Richmond Road and noticed that a police dog was being “especially busy” towards the back, indicating that someone had been there.

They subsequently found a makeshift sling of bedsheets underneath the truck, with the driver saying once shown a photograph of Khalife: “That’s the guy who was supposed to help me but didn’t show up.”

He was arrested on 9 September on a canal footpath in Northolt, and responded “I don’t know how immigrants do it” when asked if he needed to see a doctor.

Former soldier left lookalike explosive device on his desk

14:45 , Holly Evans

Following his police interview, Khalife was released on bail pending further enquiries, and was notified in December 2022 that the case had been referred to the CPS.

He was seen on 2 January driving out of the barracks and did not report for duty the next day. This resulted in a search of his room, where MoD officers discovered a device on his desk, which initially appeared to be a form of improvised explosive device (IED).

It was quickly concluded that the device “was not viable” due to missing parts, but a 100-metre cordon was set up with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit asked to attend.

Mr Heywood KC said that Khalife would have been aware the fake device was “something likely to cause alarm” and that it was done “quite deliberately”.

He was arrested on 26 January.

Khalife claimed he had been looking for an ‘entry point’ to be a double agent

14:29 , Holly Evans

Khalife was arrested by police on 6 January 2022, where a search warrant recovered three iPhones, a MacBook Pro and an iPad as well as a black notebook, a suitcase and a USB stick.

During his initial interview, he declined the assistance of a solicitor and said he had done nothing wrong. Khalife claimed his ambition had been to work in intelligence, but was told he was unlikely to achieve developed vetting “due to his ancestry”. This led him to begin liaising with Iranian handlers.

“He said this was with a view to establish a credible relationship whereby he could then go to British intelligence and use it as an entry-point to being a double agent as a route to getting security clearance,” Mr Heywood KC said.

Khalife claimed to have given them some “bulls***” documents, and after his return to the UK from the US, he was contacted again. They would speak every Sunday and he would provide fake documents, while his contact invited him to travel to Beirut in order to go to Iran.

Daniel Khalife claimed he had been trying to work as a ‘double agent’ (Metropolitan Police/PA) (PA Media)
Daniel Khalife claimed he had been trying to work as a ‘double agent’ (Metropolitan Police/PA) (PA Media)

Khalife researched flights to Iran

14:18 , Holly Evans

At the same time as contacting MI6, Khalife also saved an electronic note that set out how he had decided to start his own intelligence operation to prove himself after he was told he was not eligible for higher level vetting.

The document read: “I decided to start my own intel operation to prove that I was able to do this.

“All I have ever wanted to do was something in intel.

“The whole reason I joined was to work in intel. I decided to use my connection to IR (Iran) to my advantage.”

But Mr Heywood said at the same time he was also researching flights to Iran and remained in contact with his Iranian handlers.

In December 2021, he messaged them to say he only had time to travel to Beirut rather than Tehran while on annual leave, adding: “I have some big documents to send you from my time in Blandford.”

The jury has already heard that Khalife undertook specialist training in Blandford Forum, in Dorset for a year from 2019.

Trial resumes

14:08 , Holly Evans

The court has reassembled following the lunch break, with Daniel Khalife entering the dock wearing a yellow shirt and chino pants.

Mark Heywood KC is expected to continue the prosecution opening.

Court breaks for lunch

13:00 , Holly Evans

The trial into Daniel Khalife has adjourned for the lunch break and will resume at 2pm.

Khalife contacted MI5 twice in 2021 to reveal his relationship with Iranian handler

12:45 , Holly Evans

In November 2021, Khalife contacted the MI5 public reporting number anonymously, volunteering information that he had been in contact with the Iranian secret services for over two years.

Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC said that he did not give his personal details, said he wanted to remain anonymous and used unregistered mobile phone numbers.

He claimed he had been contacted by an individual on social media, and that he had provided them with documents that had already been leaked via Wikileaks. Khalife added that they were “content with this” and had paid him £1,500, and that he had maintained this relationship and had been paid £1,000 in October 2021.

In a second call just two weeks later, he repeated the same story in an anonymous phone call.

He also wrote a note to himself and said that he had “decided to start my own intel operation to prove that I was able to do this”, after being told he was not eligible for developed vetting.

Khalife sent screenshots to handlers after being handed NATO secret clearance

12:05 , Holly Evans

Khalife was deployed to Fort Hood in Texas between February and April 2021, during which he remained in close contact with his Iranian handler.

He took several images of open screens, in which some of them were clearly marked ‘SECRET’, while one included a password record sheet.

While based in the US, jurors heard he was given Nato ‘secret’ clearance, the second highest level of security clearance. He went on to take 29 images while in Texas, with his activity continuing once he returned to the UK.

On 2 August 2021, Khalife took a photograph of a handwritten list he had compiled of details relating to 15 soldiers, which included their service number, rank, initials, surname and unit. This included several personnel members who were part of the UK special forces.

Later that evening, he accessed the human resources (‘HR’) system for the Ministry of Defence under the pretence of booking annual leave. He is alleged to have used the ‘Approver’ box to search for individuals on the soldier list by surname and took seven screenshots, despite none of these individuals being involved in approving his leave request.

Mr Heywood added: “He was clearly researching and gathering and recording that information.”

Khalife is currently on trial at Woolwich Crown Cour t (PA)
Khalife is currently on trial at Woolwich Crown Cour t (PA)

Khalife promised handler to stay in the army for 25 years, court hears

11:36 , Holly Evans

The court heard that Daniel Khalife travelled to Istanbul in August 2020, after making contact with Iranian agents and being told his travel should be disguised “as a holiday”.

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

In text messages shown to jurors, Khalife is seen promising: “I won’t leave the military until you tell me to. 25 plus years.”

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

Courtroom assembles

10:59 , Holly Evans

The courtroom where Daniel Khalife is facing trial at Woolwich Crown Court has now assembled, with the prosecutor Mark Heywood KC due to continue his opening.

The jury and Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb have entered and taken their seats.

Who is Daniel Khalife?

10:16 , Alex Croft

Daniel Khalife, the 23-year-old accused of multiple espionage-related charges and of escaping prison, was raised in Kingston, south London, by his 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 provides communications, IT and cyber support, the court heard.

Khalife passed his security clearance - giving him access to secret information - before he took on 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 his year-long specialist training course in early 2020, before he was posted to the 16th Signal Regiment in Stafford, the jury heard.

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

Daniel Khalife may have begun to think about espionage as early as March 2019, his trial heard (Elizabeth Cook/PA) (PA Archive)
Daniel Khalife may have begun to think about espionage as early as March 2019, his trial heard (Elizabeth Cook/PA) (PA Archive)

First day in court brings new detail to light

09:44 , Alex Croft

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

In January 2022, the former British soldier told police he had made contact with a known individual within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the court heard. He told police that he 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 case is that he began a process of obtaining, recording and communicating material, information of a kind that might be or was intended to be useful to an enemy of the UK,” Mr Heywood added.

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

Khalife used a false name to get in touch with MI6 through the “contact us” page of their website - requesting to work as a “double agent”, the court heard.

He allegedly revealed in the email that he was paid 2,000 US dollars (£1,500) as payment for sending Iran documents - which he says was fake. The money was left in a “dog waste bag” in Mill Hill Park, jurors were told.

Police spoke with Khalife and he was released on bail before he absconded from his barracks, the court heard.

And Khalife is accused of strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery lorry to escape HMP Wandsworth on September 6 2023, while being held on remand on terror and espionage charges.

What is Daniel Khalife accused of?

09:26 , Alex Croft

Daniel Khalife is accused of collecting secret information before handing it to “agents of Iran”.

The 23-year-old is facing four charges at Woolwich Crown Court - all of which he has denied.

He is accused of breaching the Official Secrets Act by gathering, publishing or communicating information potentially useful to an enemy, in this case Iranian intelligence, between May 1 2019 and January 6 2022.

Khalife was also charged under the Terrorism Act of eliciting 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 denies all four charges.

Welcome to our live coverage

09:14 , Alex Croft

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

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

Stay here for regular updates throughout the day.