London

A former UK soldier was found guilty on Thursday (Nov. 28) of spying for Iran but was acquitted in a parallel case of disseminating a bomb hoax at his army barracks. 23-year-old Daniel Khalife, who served in the Royal Corps of Signals, was previously accused of collecting secret information and handing it over to operatives in Tehran.

Advertisment

Khalife played a ‘cynical game’

The prosecutors revealed that Khalife tried playing a ‘cynical game’ with the authorities, claiming that he tried his luck at becoming a double agent and extracting information from Iran to help British intelligence agencies.

However, in the process, the prosecutors said he gathered “a very large body of restricted and classified material” – as police described him as the “ultimate Walter Mitty character that was having a significant impact on the real world”.

Advertisment

The secret information allegedly included the names of Special Forces soldiers. He also promised Iranians that he would stay undercover and work for Tehran for “25 plus years”. During trial, it was claimed that he had created and passed on fake documents from MPs, senior military officials and the security services, but the nugget also contained genuine army documents.

Also read: Will Trump rip up Chagos Islands agreement? UK rushes to initiate talks with incoming cabinet

He was subsequently detained following allegations of perpetrating a bomb hoax. However, he later pleaded guilty to having escaped the prison by clinging to the underside of a food delivery truck in September 2023.

Advertisment

To justify his escape, he said he had hoped that he would be then transferred to a high-security unit (HSU) at a different prison, HMP Belmarsh, away from “sex offenders” and “terrorists”. Days later, when he was caught by police officers, he is understood to have congratulated them. While being at large, Khalife reportedly tried to contact Iranians and sent this message: “I wait.”

Also read: Ex-British soldier captured in Russia while fighting for Ukraine: Report

A jury at Woolwich Crown Court found Khalife guilty of violating the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act after hours of deliberations.

(With inputs from agencies)