LONDON – A former British soldier whose audacious escape from a London prison spurred a dayslong search was convicted on Thursday of passing on delicate info to the Iranian intelligence service.
Daniel Khalife, 23, was discovered responsible by a jury in Woolwich Crown Court docket on violations of Britain’s Official Secrets and techniques Act by amassing info helpful to an enemy — Iran. He was cleared of a cost of planting pretend bombs in his army barracks.
Prosecutors mentioned Khalife performed a “cynical recreation” by claiming he wished to be a spy after he had delivered a considerable amount of restricted and labeled materials to Iran, together with the names of particular forces officers.
Khalife testified that he had been in contact with folks within the Iranian authorities however that it was all a part of a ploy to in the end work as a double-agent for Britain, a scheme he mentioned he bought from watching the TV present “Homeland.”
“I wished to make the most of my background to additional our nationwide safety,” he informed jurors.
Protection lawyer Gul Nawaz Hussein mentioned Khalife’s aspirations to be James Bond have been naïve, silly and bordered on slapstick. He mentioned his shopper was extra “Scooby Doo” than “007.”
Khalife’s case had not obtained a lot consideration till he escaped from a London jail in September 2023 and went on the run for 3 days.
Khalife was being held on the costs in Wandsworth Jail when he escaped from the kitchen by strapping himself to the underside of a supply truck. He was in the end nabbed on a canal path.
Throughout his trial, Khalife pleaded responsible to the escape, however continued to contest the spying fees.
Khalife joined the Military at 16 and was assigned to the Royal Corps of Alerts, a communications unit that’s deployed with battlefield troops, in addition to particular forces and intelligence squads.
He was informed he couldn’t be part of the intelligence service as a result of his mom is from Iran.
At 17, he reached out to a person linked with Iranian intelligence and started passing alongside info, prosecutors mentioned. He was given NATO secret safety clearance when he took half in a joint train at Fort Cavazos in Texas in early 2021.
British safety officers weren’t conscious of Khalife’s contacts with the Iranians till he contacted MI6, the U.Ok.’s overseas intelligence service, to supply to work as a double-agent.
He reached out to MI6 anonymously, saying he had earned the belief of his Iranian handlers and that they’d rewarded him by leaving a bag in a north London park that contained $2,000 money ($1,578 kilos).
Khalife mentioned a lot of the materials he offered to his Iranian handlers was info he made up or paperwork that have been obtainable on-line and didn’t expose army secrets and techniques.
Copyright 2024 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials might not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.
