Daniel Khalife was a British soldier who spied for Iran and dreamed of fame

Just aft 07:30 connected 6 September past year, Skye Vokins was driving on the dual carriageway southbound of Wandsworth Roundabout, successful London.

Scarcely believing her eyes, she saw a antheral onshore connected the roadworthy beneath the rear axle of a transportation motortruck stopped successful beforehand of her car astatine a pedestrian crossing.

“I saw him driblet to the crushed and past bash a benignant of pencil roll,” Ms Vokins recalls.

The antheral stood up and walked dilatory to the nearest pavement.

“I retrieve him flicking his fringe backmost and behaving precise casually - arsenic if thing had happened.”

The antheral was Daniel Khalife, a erstwhile British Army worker who was expected to beryllium successful situation awaiting proceedings for spying for Iran.

He had conscionable hitched a thrust retired of HMP Wandsworth by clinging to the underside of the lorry utilizing a makeshift sling made from a brace of trousers.

Earlier that morning, Khalife had been moving successful the situation kitchen. When the regular nutrient transportation lorry arrived helium walked retired of the room and strapped himself nether the truck, partially hidden from presumption by its process assistance mechanism.

As the lorry drove towards the airlock - a unafraid country betwixt the interior and outer gates of the situation - Khalife heard 1 of the room unit asking: “Where is that young boy?”

The lorry operator remembers proceeding situation information unit accidental idiosyncratic was missing, and said 2 guards checked his conveyance doubly utilizing a torch and a mirror, earlier yet waving it through.

“I said: ‘Are you definite I tin go?’ I thought determination should beryllium a lockdown if idiosyncratic is missing.”

Despite the information alert, Khalife’s uncomfortable thrust retired of situation continued unhindered.

His escape, and the three-day manhunt for him that followed, were beforehand leafage quality crossed the country, but astatine that signifier small was known astir the 22-year-old’s beingness – oregon wherefore helium had been successful prison.

Still nary authoritative study into the flight has ever been published. An autarkic probe was commissioned, but contempt repeated requests by BBC News the Ministry of Justice has not yet made its findings public.

Now Khalife has been recovered blameworthy of spying for Iran. The BBC has been investigating his beingness and what led him to interaction Iranian agents portion moving for the British Army.

Khalife was calved successful London successful 2001, to a British-Iranian parent and a British-Lebanese father. His parents soon broke up, and helium has had small interaction with his father.

At secondary schoolhouse successful south-west London, galore of Khalife's friends came from well-off families and helium felt ashamed of his comparative poverty. He had struggled to absorption astatine schoolhouse but managed to get 10 GCSEs.

Aged 15, Khalife was caught stealing goods from a store by utilizing a almighty magnet to region information tags.

“I person ever had a acquisition for exposing flaws successful security,” helium told the assemblage during his caller trial.

He said his parent was precise strict and that helium “wanted to get distant from home” and “to consciousness what it would beryllium similar to beryllium free”.

So successful September 2018, astatine the property of 16, Khalife joined the Army.

A worker who trained alongside him astatine the Army Foundation College, successful Harrogate, told the BBC Khalife stood retired for his cockiness, arrogance and over-confidence.

“He seemed to privation the spotlight. He liked to beryllium the centre of attraction and beryllium the large show-off character," helium said. "He tested the patience of astir of america - particularly the corporals.”

The adjacent signifier successful Khalife’s Army vocation was grooming arsenic a signaller successful Dorset - but his dreams of joining a Special Forces regiment were shattered erstwhile helium was told helium wouldn’t walk the precocious information clearance needed due to the fact that of his Iranian heritage.

Within a fewer weeks of arriving successful Dorset, Khalife contacted an Iranian antheral connected Facebook called Hamed Ghashghavi. Ghashghavi had been sanctioned by the USA for allegedly helping to enlistee a erstwhile US servicewoman, Monica Witt, arsenic an Iranian spy. Khalife knew that.

Khalife made immoderate amateurish mock-ups of concealed documents which helium sent to Ghasghavi to triumph the Iranians’ spot and dilatory built a narration with them. He was handed connected to a subordinate of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) who utilized the codename “David Smith” successful his communications with Khalife.

By August 2019, having been successful the Army for little than a year, Khalife was collecting £1,500 successful a canine poo container from a “dead drop” successful Mill Hill Park, northbound London.

What Khalife did adjacent was bizarre. He filled retired an accusation signifier connected the website of the Secret Intelligence Service MI6, champion known for its fictional serviceman James Bond.

He told MI6 helium had been paid by Iran aft passing connected mendacious accusation and said helium wanted to beryllium a “double agent”. He did not uncover helium was successful the Army - and the quality bureau ignored him.

Disappointed with their reaction, Khalife carried connected his beingness arsenic a young soldier, but stayed successful interaction with his Iranian contacts.

A twelvemonth later, successful August 2020, Khalife flew to Istanbul, successful Turkey. But what happened connected the travel is unclear. There seems to person been an volition - astatine slightest from the Iranians - for Khalife to question to the Iranian superior Tehran, but helium hardly near his hotel, the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti.

Khalife aboriginal told Ghashghavi his IRGC handlers had messed up the logistics, but that helium had handed thing over.

“I delivered a bundle to them,” Khalife told Ghashghavi successful a dependable note, “but they haven’t responded to maine for about, I think, 8 days.”

Khalife's interaction successful Iran, "David Smith", urged him to beryllium careful, penning connected Telegram: “We tin enactment unneurotic a batch of years.”

Khalife replied: “Absolutely, I won’t permission the subject until you archer maine to. 25+years.”

During his clip successful the Army, including portion connected a subject workout successful the US, Khalife accumulated galore pictures of concealed communications instrumentality connected his iPhone - including machine screens showing IP addresses. It is unclear however galore of the photos helium really sent to Iran.

During 1 speech with his handlers recorded connected his iPad, Khalife said helium wanted them to springiness him espionage training.

“I wanted to person immoderate grooming from you guys, and I deliberation the champion grooming for maine is wrong of Iran," helium said. “I americium 1 of the astir intelligent radical - I won an award. I americium amended than everybody present - I americium much intelligent than everybody here.”

The grant Khalife was referring to was for champion inferior worker successful his tiny squadron, for which helium received a inexpensive trophy.

The grooming successful Iran ne'er happened.

Later that year, Khalife began compiling a database of names of Special Forces soldiers from regiments, including the Special Air and Special Boat Services. Initially helium lone had surnames and initials, but helium recovered a flaw successful the Army’s holiday-booking strategy that allowed him to look up and photograph soldiers’ archetypal names too. These pictures were aboriginal recovered connected his phone.

Clearly blessed with the accusation they were receiving from Khalife, the Iranians arranged a 2nd dormant missive driblet successful October 2021 - this clip £1,000 was near underneath a angiosperm cookware beside a mausoleum successful a westbound London cemetery.

Soon afterwards Khalife contacted Britain’s spy agencies again, this clip the Security Service, MI5. Telephone calls were recorded connected 9 November and 22 November 2021.

Khalife didn’t springiness his name, but did uncover helium was a serving solder. MI5 did not enlistee him arsenic a “double agent”, alternatively Khalife was arrested astatine his barracks connected 6 January 2022.

The UK volition ne'er cognize what the astir delicate worldly Khalife sent to Iran was. Most of the messages helium exchanged with his contacts connected the encrypted connection app Telegram were deleted. But helium does look to person sent astatine slightest 2 classified documents - 1 connected drones and different connected “Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance”.

Even these Khalife edited to marque look much significant, changing the “OFFICIAL” classification to “SECRET”, which connected 1 papers helium misspelled “SECERT”.

“Only helium volition cognize wherefore helium was doing this,” Commander Dominic Murphy of antagonistic coercion bid said. “I bash judge that determination is immoderate of this that fitted into his ain fantasies - but helium caused a important magnitude of harm successful doing so.”

Commander Murphy likened Khalife to the self-aggrandising fictional quality Walter Mitty, who daydreamed astir bonzer idiosyncratic triumphs.

“The occupation is helium was a Walter Mitty quality that was having an interaction successful the existent world.”

After his arrest, Khalife was allowed to stay successful the Army, though assigned to little delicate work. But arsenic detectives dilatory built the lawsuit against him, helium could consciousness the nett closing in.

On 2 January 2023, Khalife absconded. The proceedings heard helium near a fake weaponry connected his table - it was unconvincing, but realistic capable for the weaponry disposal portion to beryllium called out.

He did not spell far. When Khalife was re-arrested connected 26 January 2023, helium was conscionable 7 miles from his barracks. Detectives aboriginal discovered helium had been surviving successful a van kitted retired with a bed, a carpet and a portable toilet. They besides recovered £18,000 successful currency successful the vehicle, immoderate of it counterfeit.

Khalife was charged nether the Terrorism Act with making the database of Special Forces soldiers, and perpetrating a weaponry hoax. Later, different complaint was added nether the Official Secrets Act of collecting accusation for the force - successful this lawsuit Iran.

Ahead of his proceedings Khalife was held successful the susceptible prisoners portion astatine HMP Wandsworth, due to the fact that of fears the serving worker mightiness beryllium attacked by different inmates.

Fellow inmate Chris Jones - who was acquitted aft spending 7 months successful Wandsworth - remembers Khalife arsenic an “odd sausage” who told him “he was going beryllium famous”.

Khalife managed to get a occupation helping successful the situation kitchen. There helium recovered the room trousers and metallic clips utilized to unafraid nutrient lockers from rats, which helium re-purposed for his escape.

After helium was seen dropping from nether the lorry successful Wandsworth, Khalife made his mode to adjacent Richmond, wherever helium stole a shot headdress from Mountain Warehouse to conceal his identity.

At this signifier helium doesn't look to person had immoderate money. But that evening helium made a telephone telephone from a pub, and not agelong aft helium had £400 successful cash. No-one has yet been charged with helping Khalife, but detectives bash not deliberation it was the Iranians who gave him the money.

He near a connection for his Iranian interaction saying, “I wait”, but got nary response.

Khalife spent his archetypal nighttime connected the tally sleeping unsmooth successful Richmond Park. The 2nd helium astir apt spent a fewer miles distant successful Chiswick. Then, arsenic the nett closed in, helium spent a 3rd nighttime wandering the streets of westbound London.

The nationalist were gripped by Khalife's situation flight story, and phoned successful hundreds of sightings - immoderate real, immoderate not.

A pistillate walking her canine told the BBC Khalife came and sat adjacent to her connected a seat successful the gardens of Chiswick House. He was “nicely dressed” and “very sweet”, she said, and talked to her astir her Maltese poodle.

A jogger doubly saw Khalife during his greeting tally - erstwhile lying connected a bench, and past again successful a cemetery.

“I really felt a spot atrocious for him,” Frank Noon said. “I thought for idiosyncratic who is astir wanted you don’t look that scary. He was conscionable sitting determination minding his ain business.”

At 10:35 connected Saturday 9 September Khalife was riding a stolen motorcycle connected a canal tow way successful Northolt, north-west London, erstwhile helium was arrested by a counter-terrorism detective successful plain clothes.

He had been connected the tally for 75 hours - but ne'er got further than 11 miles from HMP Wandsworth.

Part mode done Khalife's proceedings helium pleaded blameworthy to escaping from prison.

After 23 hours of deliberation, the assemblage convicted him of breaching the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act. He was acquitted of perpetrating a weaponry hoax astatine his service barracks.

Khalife’s lawyer described him arsenic much Scooby-Doo than 007, and painted a representation of a hapless amateur connected a one-man ngo to go a treble cause - idiosyncratic who mightiness ne'er person been caught had helium not phoned MI5 himself.

Even the hardened counter-terrorism detectives investigating Khalife judge helium is mostly a fantasist.

But astatine the centre of this lawsuit was whether this fantasist - who had offered to enactment for Iran for much than 25 years - had ended up giving British Army secrets to an organisation astatine the bosom of the Iranian information state.

The assemblage astatine his proceedings decided helium did.