Khalife Asserts Patriotism and Love for UK in Court Testimony

The individual formerly serving as a British soldier, who stands accused of espionage for Iran and escaping from custody, has declared himself to be “a patriot” with affection for his nation. Providing his testimony for the initial occasion during his trial at Woolwich Crown Court, Daniel Khalife affirmed, “I am English,” and stated his opposition to “the regime in Iran.” Prosecutors contend that Mr. Khalife gathered sensitive military intelligence for Iran and subsequently concealed himself beneath a food delivery vehicle to flee Wandsworth prison, located in south-west London, on 6 September 2023. He refutes these accusations. Mr. Khalife recounted that he initiated contact with Iranian intelligence through social media platforms Facebook and Telegram when he was 17, transmitting “fake” documents and receiving a “dead drop” of £1,500 within a dog poo bag in exchange. On Wednesday, jurors were presented with a page from one of Mr. Khalife’s notebooks, on which he had inscribed “spying,” followed further down the page by “contact Iranians then USA.” He informed the court that his intention was “to contact a foreign enemy, to give them fictitious information, to build a rapport with that enemy.” He asserted, “I wanted to expose Iranian intelligence officers working inside the United Kingdom.” Earlier in the proceedings, jurors were apprised of Mr. Khalife’s family background and upbringing, having been born in Marylebone and raised in the Richmond area of west London by his Iranian mother and Lebanese father. When questioned regarding his sentiments about the United Kingdom, the 23-year-old responded: “I am a patriot, It’s as simple as that. I love my country.” He added, “I am English and that is how I see it.” Mr. Khalife informed the court that he had read an article concerning a US servicewoman who had defected to Iran and subsequently resolved to contact the same organization implicated in her recruitment – the New Horizon Organization. He reached out via Facebook to its secretary, Hamed Ghashghavi, an individual who has been subjected to sanctions by the US. Mr. Khalife stated that “the purpose of the exercise” was “to dupe him, fool him,” and detailed the creation of a fabricated document to dispatch to Mr. Ghashghavi. “I wanted to build a level of trust with an individual that I thought was attached at least in some way to the Iranian Intelligent apparatus,” Mr. Khalife explained. Mr. Khalife mentioned making calls on Telegram “always on the same tack, to mislead and deceive the foreign enemy” – further noting that, on one occasion, men he believed to be Iranian intelligence officers participated in a call. The defendant claimed he even invented the name of a British spy operating within Iran, identifying him as Ali Reza. He stated, “When the Iranians started to express an interest in assets working inside Iran, I created a document to make them believe there was such an asset.” He continued, “There came a time when the Iranians essentially wanted to reward me with a sum of money.” He recounted traveling to London from his barracks in Blandford, south-west England, on 11 August 2019, and being directed by one of his Telegram contacts to Mill Hill Park. The court was informed that he then took a selfie and collected £1,500 in cash, contained within a dog poo bag – an event he referred to as a “dead drop.” He stated that he observed the individuals who deposited the money in an Audi SUV. He testified to the court his belief that “these individuals could have been apprehended,” and that within days he was attempting to establish contact with MI6 through its official website. Mr. Khalife indicated that shortly after the money exchange, his Iranian contacts expressed a desire for him to travel to Iran – but he informed them that his passport had expired. He remarked: “I felt it would be extremely dangerous for me to travel to a state that is extremely hostile to us and to who I was providing fictitious information to… ” He added, “Maybe they wanted to apprehend me and put me in harm’s way.” In a discussion concerning his upbringing, Mr. Khalife conveyed to jurors that he experienced a “level of shame” regarding his humble background, adding that his family resided in a “relatively wealthy area.” When questioned about his family’s perspective on the Iranian regime, he informed the court that they were “against” it. He further stated that his Iranian mother “detests” it “and probably the country as well.” He recounted that after he was apprehended for shoplifting at the age of 15, his mother took him to Iran for four weeks as “she wanted to show us how people lived.” “I hated it. I thought it was a horrible place,” he told jurors. “The weather, the government, everything.” At the age of 16, Mr. Khalife enlisted in the Army because “he wanted to get away from home,” he explained. While undergoing his initial training in Harrogate, Mr. Khalife stated that an officer informed him he would be ineligible for intelligence roles in the British army due to his heritage – a revelation that strengthened his resolve to demonstrate the inaccuracy of that policy. “I actually thought my background could be utilised to further our national security interests,” he conveyed to the jury. He continued, “I was still loyal to my country. I still loved my country. But something was wrong, fundamentally. It was flawed.” Earlier in the trial, jurors viewed CCTV footage depicting Mr. Khalife in various locations while he was allegedly evading capture after escaping prison. Prosecutors asserted that he also transmitted messages on Telegram to an account linked to Iranian intelligence, including one that read “I wait.” Mr. Khalife was apprehended on 9 September 2023 on a canal towpath in Northolt, west London. Mr. Khalife denies the charge of escaping from prison and also faces accusations under the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act, which encompass gathering information beneficial to Iran, collecting names of special forces soldiers useful to terrorists, and orchestrating a bomb hoax at his barracks in Stafford. He denies all charges brought against him. His testimony, and the trial, are ongoing.