British ex-soldier Daniel Khalife, who spied for Iran and escaped prison, jailed for 14 years

Daniel Khalife, a former British soldier, has been sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for betraying his country by engaging in espionage for Iran, following his audacious escape from a London jail for three days. Khalife, now 23, was convicted last November of violating the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act for providing restricted and classified material to Iran.

Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb stated on Monday, "You had the potential to be a model soldier in your youth, however, you repeatedly violated your oath of service and instead proved yourself to be a dangerous fool." A jury at Woolwich Crown Court rejected his testimony that he was attempting to act as a double agent for Britain. Khalife's espionage case had not received much attention until he escaped from Wandsworth Prison by hiding under the chassis of a food delivery truck. He was on the run for three days before being arrested by police on bicycles by a canal in London.

During the trial, Khalife admitted to the escape charge but continued to dispute the espionage accusations. Khalife's lawyer argued that his actions were more akin to a plot from the "Scooby-Doo" cartoons than a James Bond thriller. The lawyer stated that his client only passed on some imprecise information, including "laughable forgeries," and did not cause actual damage. Lawyer Gul Nawaz Hussain said, "What Mr. Khalife did would not serve as a lesson for an aspiring spy. His intentions were neither evil nor cynical."

But prosecutors said Khalife was actually playing a "cynical game," claiming he wanted to become a spy after providing Iranian intelligence with a significant amount of restricted and classified material, including the names of special forces officers. Khalife testified that he had contacted people in the Iranian government, but this was all part of his plan to eventually act as a double agent for Britain, a plan he got from watching the TV series "Homeland." Authorities said that due to the threat posed by Iran, he posed a real risk to national security. Police noted that Britain has foiled 20 Iranian plots, including assassination plans.

British security services only became aware of his contacts with Iranians when Khalife contacted MI6, Britain's foreign intelligence agency, offering to act as a double agent. He anonymously contacted MI6, claiming he had gained the trust of the Iranian side, who rewarded him by leaving £1,578 (about $2,000) in cash in a dog poo bag in a park in north London. Khalife joined the army at 16 and was assigned to the Royal Corps of Signals, a communications unit deployed with battlefield troops, special forces, and intelligence teams. He was told he could not join intelligence due to his mother being from Iran.

Prosecutors said that at 17, he contacted someone linked to Iranian intelligence and began passing on information. In early 2021, while participating in joint exercises at Fort Cavazos in Texas, he obtained a NATO secret security clearance. The judge noted that his security breach on US soil could have caused diplomatic damage. Khalife's escape from the Victorian-era prison has raised concerns about the broader flaws in Britain's aging and overcrowded penal system. An investigation is currently underway into how Khalife escaped and whether he had any assistance. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of helping him after his escape.