Alleged spy ‘talked about going to Iran for training’, court hears

A former British Army soldier accused of being a spy for Iran and escaping from Wandsworth prison last year has volunteered to go train in Iran, a court has heard.

The trial jury at Woolwich Crown Court heard a recording of a conversation the prosecution said was between Daniel Khalife and two Iranian contacts in November 2021.

Khalife, now 23, is accused of gathering intelligence for Iran, compiling a list of special forces soldiers, perpetrating a bombshell fraud and evading arrest.

He denies all accusations.

In the recording, Khalife apparently argues with the two men about whether he should travel to Iran or Lebanon.

One of the men, who appears to be the most experienced, suggests that Lebanon is the best option.

Khalife then says, “I wanted to get some training from you, and I think the best training for me is inside Iran.”

But the man, speaking in a thick Iranian accent, says Lebanon is better: “Yes, there we can train him and because we have a safe place there – yes.”

“Your safety and health are very important to us,” he says.

The man adds: “We don’t want any dangers to you and the planning for Lebanon. If this is better, if this is good, we can plan a safe meeting here.”

Khalife says he is about to take a month off, starting in mid-December.

Your Iranian contact asks: “Isn’t it delicate for you to travel to Lebanon?”

Khalife says, “It’s delicate. I have to plan. I can’t pay with my credit card. So what I have to do is pay in cash. I will use the money you gave me.”

The prosecution said the recording of the conversation was recovered from Khalife’s own iPad.

There is no evidence that Khalife ever traveled to Iran or Lebanon.

Earlier, the jury read transcripts of two conversations Khalife had with MI5 call handlers after calling the publicly available telephone number.

In the first call, he said he was approached by an Iranian and started sending them fabricated documents.

He said he had collected a sum of money in £20 notes from a bag of dog poo in Mill Hill Park, north London, and said a year later he had collected £1,000 pounds from under a pot in a cemetery in Kensal Green in the west. London.

On the next call, he asks why he didn’t get a call back.

In court yesterday, prosecutors said that Khalife – whose role in the Royal Corps of Signals gave him access to highly classified information – had volunteered to work as an agent for Iran on messages to Iranian intelligence officials.

The court also heard he won his squadron’s Best Junior Soldier cup and was recommended for promotion to Lance Corporal aged just 20.

The jury heard that Khalife was first arrested in January 2022 and charged in January 2023.

He reportedly escaped from Wandsworth prison eight months later by strapping himself to the bottom of a food delivery van, before being recaptured three days later.

The trial continues.