Daniel Khalife denies soliciting Iranian assistance following prison escape

Daniel Khalife, a 23-year-old former soldier, has refuted claims that he sought assistance from Iranian agents subsequent to his prison break. He informed Woolwich Crown Court that while Iran’s security services expressed a desire to aid him, he “closed the conversation” and had no plans to depart the United Kingdom. Mr. Khalife’s escape from HMP Wandsworth, located in south-west London, occurred in September 2023. He achieved this by attaching himself to the bottom of a food delivery vehicle with a makeshift sling. On Tuesday, he admitted guilt to the charge of escaping from HMP Wandsworth in September 2023. However, he has pleaded not guilty to accusations under the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act, and faces an additional charge of carrying out a bomb hoax. During his third day at large, Mr. Khalife dispatched a Telegram message, since deleted, to an Iranian contact, followed by another message stating plainly: “I wait.” When questioned about the reason for sending it, Mr. Khalife stated: “The night before I didn’t sleep… It’s literally out of curiosity, I wanted to see what the reaction was.” He added, “They wanted to help me, I closed the conversation.” Prosecutors contend that Mr. Khalife was awaiting aid from Iranian security services in the Chiswick area of west London, but no assistance materialized. Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC inquired, “They didn’t come to help, did you ever understand why?” Mr. Khalife responded, “I didn’t ask for help.” When asked why he did not surrender to police immediately, he indicated a desire to remain at large for “at least 48 hours.” Mr. Khalife had previously informed jurors that his escape from prison was motivated by a desire to be housed in a high-security facility, separate from “sex offenders” and “terrorists” whom he believed intended him harm. Police apprehended him subsequently while he was riding a bicycle on a canal towpath in west London. When questioned if he would have “kept going” had he not been intercepted, the former soldier responded: “I was headed out of central London… It’s full of cameras and that sort of thing.” The day following his escape, Mr. Khalife purchased a mobile phone for £89 from a store in Hammersmith. During his time at large, he also acquired clothing from Marks & Spencer and a coffee from McDonald’s, and walked alongside the River Thames before police apprehended him three days later. His trial previously revealed that he stole a hat from a Mountain Warehouse store and began utilizing a bicycle he discovered. When asked about taking a change of clothes and his notebook upon escaping from prison, Mr. Khalife stated: “I wanted to exude a sense of professionalism… to show that I was capable of doing what I did.” The legal proceedings are ongoing. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.