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A former British soldier whose escape from a London prison last year sparked a three-day man-hunt has been found guilty of spying for Iran.
A jury convicted 23-year-old Daniel Khalife despite his claims that it had been an attempt to work as a double agent to help British security agencies. Prosecutors told his trial this was “a cynical game.”
The spy, who admitted to escaping from prison, was cleared of carrying out a bomb hoax.
Khalife reached out to a “middle-man” associated with Iran by sending him a Facebook message and claiming he would remain undercover in the British Army for them for more than 25 years, according to Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Senior military officials and security services say he created and passed on fake documents supposedly from MPs but also sent genuine army documents, according to PA. A document he had created with personal details of special forces soldiers was also uncovered.
“He surreptitiously sought out and obtained copies of secret and sensitive information which he knew were protected and passed these on to individuals he believed to be acting on behalf of the Iranian state,” said the CPS’ Bethan David on Thursday.
He “accepted hundreds of pounds for his efforts and even travelled to Turkey as part of his unlawful conduct,” David added.
A lawyer for Khalife, Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, said his double agent plot was more “Scooby-Doo” than James Bond and “sometimes bordering on the slapstick.”
Khalife was first arrested in January 2022 at a barracks in England, telling officers he had received £1,500 ($1,900) from Iranian handlers in a dog waste bag as part of his dealings with them.
In September 2023 he managed to escape from Wandsworth Prison dressed as a chef and strapped to the underside of a delivery van.
While on the run he tried to make contact with his handlers, sending the message “I wait.” via Telegram but was caught three days later.
Khalife will be sentenced early next year.