Daniel Khalife has been sentenced to 14 years and three months for his escape from prison while facing espionage charges related to Iran.
Having enlisted in the Army at the age of 16, Khalife soon began transmitting classified information, which included the identities of special forces personnel, to Tehran.
Now 23 years old, Khalife was charged in January 2023 and became the target of a nationwide manhunt eight months later after he absconded from Wandsworth prison prior to his trial. He was apprehended in London following a 75-hour search.
During the sentencing on Monday, Mrs. Justice Cheema-Grubb remarked that Khalife possessed “the potential to be an exemplary soldier” upon his enlistment, yet he demonstrated himself to be “a reckless fool.”
“You seek attention and reveled in the notoriety gained from your prison break,” the judge further stated.
Khalife, dressed in a black jumper, showed no visible reaction as he was escorted out of the courtroom after the sentencing.
As a former soldier, Khalife’s actions violated the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act. He was convicted of espionage against Iran during a trial at Woolwich Crown Court in November.
Midway through the proceedings, he admitted to escaping custody by attaching himself beneath a food delivery truck.
He was acquitted of making a bomb hoax at his army base at RAF Stafford in 2023, where three wired canisters were discovered.
Khalife started reaching out to Iranian agents shortly after joining the British Army as a teenager in September 2018.
He used Facebook to connect with a person affiliated with Iranian intelligence, subsequently establishing ties with other contacts from Iran.
By August 2019, less than a year into his military career, he was tasked with retrieving $2,000 (£1,600) concealed in a dog waste bag at Mill Hill Park in north London.
In August 2020, he also traveled to Turkey to deliver a package to agents of Iranian intelligence.
Throughout his trial, it was revealed that Khalife had anonymously approached MI6 twice, offering his services as a double agent.
After these communications, an investigation was initiated against him in November 2021. He was arrested in January 2022 and charged a year later.
Khalife escaped from Wandsworth prison in 2023 while awaiting trial, only to be captured three days later.
Prosecutors highlighted that Khalife had been “entrusted with safeguarding the national security of this country,” yet he chose to exploit his position to undermine it.
However, Khalife’s attorney characterized the scheme as “clumsy” and more akin to “Scooby-Doo” than “James Bond.”
In her comments during sentencing, Mrs. Justice Cheema-Grubb expressed disappointment that shortly after his basic training, Khalife spent over two years engaging with Iranian operatives, a nation whose goals conflict with those of the UK.
She indicated that once Khalife had engaged with Iran, he had been through a vetting process that granted him access to a “wealth of sensitive information.”
“The expectations of confidentiality would have been ingrained in you,” she noted.
The judge remarked that it remained unclear precisely what information Khalife had passed to his handlers.
Several mitigating factors were presented, such as Khalife’s young age and a 2023 psychological evaluation diagnosing him with Antisocial Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
During his military tenure, including time spent on exercises in the US, Khalife amassed numerous images of classified communication devices on his iPhone, which included screenshots revealing IP addresses. It remains uncertain how many of these images were transmitted to Iranian agents.
Khalife compiled a list of 15 active soldiers, including some from special forces. Initially possessing only last names and initials, he exploited a flaw in the Army’s holiday booking system, enabling him to capture and photograph first names as well. These images were later discovered on his phone.
Prosecutors suspect he sent this list of soldier names to Iran before erasing the evidence.
Nonetheless, Khalife asserted that he never forwarded it and claimed the information he shared was “fabricated” or “worthless.” However, he seemingly dispatched at least two confidential documents—one concerning drones and another on “Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance.”
The UK may never ascertain the extent of the information Khalife relayed, as most of the messages exchanged were conducted via the encrypted app Telegram.
Following the verdict, Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter-Terrorism Command, stated: “The risk to the UK from nations such as Iran is significant, making it profoundly irresponsible and dangerous for a soldier to divulge sensitive military information to them.”
After his escape, Khalife was apprehended by undercover officers while riding a stolen bicycle along a canal path in north-west London—just 11 miles from Wandsworth.
While evading capture, he attempted to reach out to Iranian contacts by sending a Telegram message that simply read: “I wait.” He did not receive a reply.
It was disclosed during the sentencing proceedings that Khalife’s escape incurred more than £250,000 in overtime costs for the police, with over 150 officers at one time participating in the search effort.
