'I'm a patriot, I love my country', Khalife tells spy trial

The erstwhile British worker accused of spying for Iran and escaping from situation has said helium is "a patriot" who loves his country.

Giving grounds for the archetypal clip successful his proceedings astatine Woolwich Crown Court, Daniel Khalife said "I americium English" and that helium was "against the authorities successful Iran".

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.

Mr Khalife said helium reached retired to Iranian quality connected societal media platforms Facebook and Telegram erstwhile helium was 17, sending them "fake" documents and receiving a "dead drop" of £1,500 successful a canine poo container successful return.

Jurors connected Wednesday were shown a leafage from 1 of Mr Khalife's notebooks successful which helium had written "spying", and past a small further down the leafage "contact Iranians past USA".

He told the tribunal his program was "to interaction a overseas enemy, to springiness them fictitious information, to physique a rapport with that enemy".

"I wanted to exposure Iranian quality officers moving wrong the United Kingdom," helium said.

Earlier successful the day, jurors heard astir Mr Khalife's household beingness and childhood, having been calved successful Marylebone and increasing up successful the Richmond country of westbound London with his Iranian parent and Lebanese father.

Asked astir his views connected the UK, the 23-year-old said: “I americium a patriot, It’s arsenic elemental arsenic that. I emotion my country.

"I americium English and that is however I spot it."

Mr Khalife told the tribunal helium had work an nonfiction astir a US servicewoman who defected to Iran and decided to interaction the aforesaid organisation that was accused of recruiting her - the New Horizon Organization.

He reached retired connected Facebook to its secretary, Hamed Ghashghavi, a antheral who has been sanctioned by the US.

Mr Khalife said "the intent of the exercise" was "to dupe him, fool him", and described making a fake papers to nonstop to Mr Ghashghavi.

"I wanted to physique a level of spot with an idiosyncratic that I thought was attached astatine slightest successful immoderate mode to the Iranian Intelligent apparatus," Mr Khalife said.

Mr Khalife said helium made calls connected Telegram "always connected the aforesaid tack, to mislead and deceive the overseas enemy" - adding that, connected 1 juncture men, helium thought were Iranian quality officers joined a call.

The suspect said helium adjacent made up the sanction of a British spy moving wrong Iran called Ali Reza.

"When the Iranians started to explicit an involvement successful assets moving wrong Iran, I created a papers to marque them judge determination was specified an asset," helium said.

"There came a clip erstwhile the Iranians fundamentally wanted to reward maine with a sum of money."

He described travelling to London from his barracks successful Blandford, south-west England, connected 11 August 2019, and was directed by 1 of his Telegram contacts to Mill Hill Park.

The tribunal heard that helium past took a selfie and collected £1,500 currency successful a canine poo container - which helium called a "dead drop". He said that helium saw the men who dropped disconnected the wealth successful an Audi SUV.

He told the tribunal helium believed "these individuals could person been apprehended", and that wrong days helium was trying to interaction MI6 done its website.

Mr Khalife said that soon aft the wealth drop, his Iranian contacts said they wanted him to question to Iran - but told them that his passport had expired.

He said: "I felt it would beryllium highly unsafe for maine to question to a authorities that is highly hostile to america and to who I was providing fictitious accusation to...

"Maybe they wanted to apprehend maine and enactment maine successful harm’s way."

In an speech astir his upbringing, Mr Khalife told jurors that helium felt a "level of shame" astir his mediocre background, adding that his household lived successful a "relatively affluent area".

When asked what his household thought astir the Iranian regime, helium told the tribunal they were "against" it. He added his Iranian parent "detests" it "and astir apt the state arsenic well".

He said that aft helium was caught shoplifting astatine 15-years-old, his parent took him to Iran for 4 weeks arsenic "she wanted to amusement america however radical lived".

"I hated it. I thought it was a horrible place," helium told jurors. "The weather, the government, everything."

At the property of 16, Mr Khalife joined the Army arsenic "he wanted to get distant from home", helium said.

While undertaking his archetypal grooming successful Harrogate, Mr Khalife said that helium was told by an serviceman that helium would not beryllium capable to enactment successful quality roles successful the British service owed to his practice - and that this made him determined to amusement them that argumentation was wrong.

"I really thought my inheritance could beryllium utilised to further our nationalist information interests," helium told the jury.

"I was inactive loyal to my country. I inactive loved my country. But thing was wrong, fundamentally. It was flawed."

Earlier successful the trial, jurors saw CCTV footage of Mr Khalife successful a fig of places portion allegedly connected the tally from prison.

Prosecutors said helium besides sent messages connected Telegram to an relationship linked to Iranian intelligence, including a connection that work "I wait".

Mr Khalife was arrested connected 9 September 2023 connected a canal towpath successful Northolt, westbound London.

Mr Khalife denies escaping from situation and besides faces charges nether the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act including gathering accusation utile for Iran, collecting names of peculiar forces soldiers utile to terrorists and perpetrating a weaponry hoax astatine his barracks successful Stafford.

He denies each charges against him. His evidence, and the trial, continues.