Alleged spy says he 'sabotaged operation' to travel to Iran

The erstwhile British Army worker accused of spying for Iran and escaping from situation has told a tribunal helium agreed to question to the Middle Eastern state but "purposefully sabotaged the operation".

Giving grounds astatine his proceedings astatine Woolwich Crown Court, Daniel Khalife said helium flew to Turkey successful August 2020 and was meant to question onwards to Tehran.

But Mr Khalife said helium told his Iranian handlers that helium was excessively frightened to bash so.

Prosecutors allege Mr Khalife collected delicate subject accusation for Iran, and aboriginal hid underneath a nutrient motortruck to flight Wandsworth situation successful south-west London connected 6 September 2023. He denies the charges.

On Thursday, Mr Khalife told the tribunal that his handlers had wanted him to spell to the Iranian superior arsenic “it was modular process for assets to spell to the state”.

He was 18 years aged astatine the clip and serving successful the British Army.

“I knew the lone mode I could question without a visa was by an hose called Mahan Air which is owned by the IRGC," Mr Khalife told the court, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a subdivision of the Iranian equipped forces.

The assemblage heard that aft arriving successful Istanbul, helium told his handlers that helium was excessively "afraid" to alert to Iran due to the fact that the craft was "30 years old".

Mr Khalife said that successful reality, helium was disquieted determination could beryllium consequences if his handlers recovered retired the accusation helium had fixed them was “entirely fictitious”.

"I felt this would beryllium dangerous," helium told the court.

The proceedings antecedently heard that constabulary recovered "completely fake" documents purporting to beryllium from MPs, elder subject officials and the information services successful Mr Khalife's room.

Mr Khalife sent his handlers a video of himself astatine the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti edifice aft they became suspicious helium whitethorn not person successful information travelled to Turkey.

He said they besides sent idiosyncratic "to scope [him] out" successful a vehicle.

After returning to the UK, Mr Khalife sent his archetypal Iranian interaction an audio connection which said: "I delivered a bundle to them, which I don’t deliberation I should archer you - but conscionable don’t notation it to anyone."

He told the tribunal successful London that helium had "of course" not delivered a package.

Mr Khalife besides addressed images connected his telephone being utilized successful grounds against him, claiming immoderate had been sent to him connected WhatsApp by his British unit commander.

He claimed that the 12 images, which prosecution experts said “could beryllium of usage to a overseas state,” were screenshots taken from an interior connection strategy and were sent to him and different soldiers by his skipper arsenic orders.

The assemblage antecedently heard that the Army was not expected to usage WhatsApp for orders.

“At the clip it was rather frustrating to get truthful galore images coming onto a device," Mr Khalife told the court.

He said the commandant "couldn't beryllium bothered to constitute the existent connection out" and alternatively sent a screenshot from MoDNet, the communications strategy utilized by the Army.

Asked astir different representation connected his telephone sent by an officer, helium said: “The lone crushed this was connected my instrumentality is due to the fact that they sent it to me.”

Some different pictures connected his telephone were ones helium took himself due to the fact that helium had been asked to nonstop them to much elder soldiers connected WhatsApp, Mr Khalife said.

His defence barrister Gul Nawaz Hussain KC asked: “Were you ever told off, rebuked oregon disciplined for doing that?”

“On the contrary," Mr Khalife said, “I was encouraged".

The 23-year-old besides said helium had received a database connected WhatsApp of each the soldiers who had been promoted to Sargeant, including 15 successful the Special Forces.

Special Forces soldiers are known arsenic the "protected population" of the Army - but Mr Khalife explained however helium could place their archetypal names by typing their surnames into an Army leave-booking system.

“You would enactment successful a past sanction and a precise agelong database of accusation would travel out. A wide flaw,” helium said.

"I person ever had a acquisition for exposing flaws successful security," helium said.

On Wednesday, the assemblage heard Mr Khalife utilized a almighty magnet to region store information tags aged 15, and got into occupation with the constabulary for shoplifting.

Mr Khalife denies collecting accusation and sending it to an enemy, namely Iran.

He besides denies taking a database of peculiar forces soldiers that could beryllium utile to terrorists, perpetrating a weaponry hoax astatine his barracks and escaping from Wandsworth Prison.

His grounds and the proceedings continue.