A former British soldier accused of escaping from prison by tying himself to the underside of a delivery truck contacted Iranian intelligence before offering to work as a “double agent” for MI6, a court heard. It became clear.
Daniel Khalif, 23, was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps before picking up an envelope containing £1,500 left inside a dog poo bag by an Iranian trainer in a north London park in 2019. He is said to have had contact with prominent people involved. .
Immediately after passing through security as a soldier, a photo found on his iPhone showed him picking up a bag decorated with feet and bones containing an envelope and taking a selfie.
The court heard the next day that his mother took steps for Mr Khalif, who is of Iranian origin, to obtain a new passport and then negotiated flight and hotel reservations for him to Turkey so he could meet with Iranian operatives there. . I’m on vacation,” the jury heard.
Immediately after receiving the money, the ex-soldier sent an email through the Contact Us section of MI6's website stating that he wanted to work as a “double agent” for the service, accepting the money in exchange for sending falsehoods to Iranian intelligence. I told him. document.
The jury heard he later told police that his contact with the Iranians was an elaborate “double bluff” and that he intended to sell himself to British security services.
He is accused of collecting classified information and passing it on to “Iranian agents.” At the beginning of the trial at Woolwich Crown Court, prosecutor Mark Heywood told jurors that Mr Khalif was actively pursuing links with Iranian intelligence services.
“His objective was clearly to present himself as a member of Iran's external security apparatus,” Heywood said. “The prosecution case is that he initiated the process of obtaining, recording and transmitting material and information of a type that could be or was intended to be useful to the enemies of the United Kingdom.
“It's up to you to decide whether his motives were simply complex or whether he was playing a cynical game,” he told jurors.
Karaif was born and raised in Kingston, south-west London. In September 2018, at the age of 16, he joined the British Army as a private and completed a 23-week course. Shortly thereafter, he may have started thinking about espionage and may have joined the British Signals Corps, which provides communications, IT and cyber support, in 2019, the court heard.
In court, he said he completed a year-long course and specialized training before receiving and passing a security clearance that gave him access to classified information. He was then assigned to the 16th Signal Regiment at Stafford.
After being arrested and released on bail, Khalif fled from the barracks, leaving cans and wire that looked like explosives on a desk, jurors said.
He then allegedly escaped from HMP Wandsworth in south London, where he was being held on terrorism and espionage charges, on September 6, 2023, by tying himself to the underside of a food delivery truck.
Mr. Khalif was charged with collecting, publishing or transmitting information that could be useful to the enemy, i.e. Iranian intelligence, in violation of the Official Secrets Act from May 1, 2019 to January 6, 2022. being asked.
He is also suspected of extracting, or attempting to extract, from the Ministry of Defense's management system on August 2, 2021, personal information of military personnel that could be useful to persons carrying out or preparing acts of terrorism. .
He denies all charges and the trial continues.
