Daniel Khalife, a former British soldier, has been sentenced to 14 years and three months in prison for spying for Iran and for escaping from Wandsworth prison. Mrs Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb described Khalife as a “dangerous fool” displaying unnecessary traits, strayed from the path of being an exemplary soldier. He collected information and passed it over to Tehran, including the names of special forces soldiers.
Khalife was apprehended in September 2023 after escaping from his cell by strapping himself under a delivery truck in a nationwide manhunt. He was arrested in London after a 75-hour search and was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court in November last year after he was found guilty of spying for Iran. He also admitted to escaping from prison.
The court heard Khalife became a spy for Iran shortly after completing his basic training in the Army, even collecting a payment of $2,000 (£1,600) from a park in north London. Khalife built a relationship with Iranian handlers in the army, during an army exercise in the US and by the time he was arrested, he had accumulated secret communication equipment photos on his iPhone.
A psychological report diagnosing him with an Antisocial Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder was presented during the trial, which the judge considered as a mitigating factor. What Khalife had passed on to his handlers still remains unclear as most of their exchanges were on the encrypted communication app Telegram
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