The jury convicted Khalife of breaching the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act, after 23 hours of deliberation (Picture: PA)
Former soldier Daniel Khalife is facing years behind bars after he was found guilty of spying for Iran.
The 23-year-old, who made headlines for his audacious escape from HMP Wandsworth while on remand, contacted MI6 in 2019, claiming he wanted to work as a ‘double agent’ for the service.
He was convicted today of committing an act prejudicial to the interests or safety of the state by collecting information that might be useful to an enemy.
He was also found guilty of eliciting information about members of HM armed forces.
Khalife was cleared of perpetrating a bomb hoax offence after leaving a fake bomb at his barracks in Staffordshire.
He admitted escaping from HMP Wandsworth during the two month trial at Woolwich Crown Court.
Khalife, wearing a blue shirt and pale trousers, calmly replaced his glasses as the verdicts were read out, and did not show any emotion.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb remanded Khalife in custody ahead of sentence on December 12.
Photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Daniel Khalife (Picture: PA)
British-born Khalife had joined the Royal Corps of Signals in 2019 and within a month was in contact with Iranian authorities.
He would spend more than two years passing information to his handlers.
Khalife amassed information at Stafford barracks in the UK and while deployed at Fort Cavazosn in Texas.
He used the Army’s system for booking annual leave to search for and access information about his comrades.
Much of the information he passed on was worthless and could be accessed on the internet.
But he also made a handwritten list of soldiers working for special forces which he gave to his handlers.
Court artist drawing of Daniel Khalife appearing at Woolwich Crown Court (Picture: PA)
But on 4 August 2020 Khalife travelled to Istanbul on instructions from a spy master named ‘David Smith’ on his phone who had told him to disguise the trip as a holiday.
He used Telegram to indicate he had left a package for his handlers.
Prosecutor Mark Heywood, KC, said Khalife’s plan was to go from Turkey to Iran but he did not cross the border.
He was paid for his services when he collected £1,500 in a dog poo bag from his handlers in Barnet.
Khalife told them he could remain in the Army for more than 25 years betraying the country.
Mr Heywood earlier said: ‘Over a period of more than two years, Mr Khalife collected and made digital records, but also sometimes in paper form, of a large quantity of information.
‘All the while he was serving soldier in the British army, employed therefore to uphold and to protect the national security of this country.
‘For purposes of his own, in a way prejudicial to the safety or security of this country, he made contact with agents of Iran, a country whose interests to do not align with, and at times threaten, those of the United Kingdom.’
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Source:: Metro
