What's happened
Daniel Khalife, a 23-year-old former soldier, is on trial for allegedly gathering sensitive military information for Iran and escaping from HMP Wandsworth. He denies all charges, including breaching the Official Secrets Act and terrorism-related offenses. The trial commenced at Woolwich Crown Court on October 9, 2024.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to BBC News, Khalife allegedly gathered sensitive military information and attempted to work as a double agent for MI6. The Independent reported that he claimed to have fabricated information for Iranian intelligence, raising questions about his motives. The contrasting narratives highlight the complexities of espionage cases and the challenges faced by security agencies in preventing insider threats.
How we got here
Khalife, who served in the Royal Corps of Signals, allegedly contacted Iranian intelligence while in the Army. He is accused of collecting sensitive military information and escaping from prison in September 2023. His trial began on October 9, 2024, amid serious allegations of espionage.
More on these topics
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The Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6, is the foreign intelligence service of the government of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligence in support of the UK's national secur
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, founded after the Iranian Revolution on 22 April 1979 by order of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
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Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a
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Woolwich Crown Court, located at 2 Belmarsh Road, Thamesmead is one of twelve Crown Court centres serving Greater London.
It is adjacent to both HM Prison Belmarsh and Belmarsh Magistrate's Court.
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An Official Secrets Act is legislation that provides for the protection of state secrets and official information, mainly related to national security but in unrevised form can include all information held by government bodies.