Daniel Abed Khalife is a British former army network engineer and soldier born on September 27, 2001, in London. He served in the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals from 2018 until 2023
. Khalife was convicted of spying for Iran, having illegally accessed and passed on classified military documents and personal information about British soldiers to Iranian contacts over more than two years
. He was initially arrested in January 2022 for breaching the Official Secrets Act, including leaving a fake explosive device at his military base and sharing sensitive information with Iran
. Khalife claimed he acted as a double agent to prove his value to British intelligence, but he was found guilty of espionage and related charges in November 2024
. In September 2023, Khalife escaped from HM Prison Wandsworth by hiding under a food delivery truck, triggering a nationwide manhunt before being recaptured three days later
. He was sentenced to 14 years and 3 months in prison for spying and escaping lawful custody
. Khalife's case attracted significant media attention due to the dramatic prison escape and the nature of his espionage activities
