Daniel Khalife poses for a selfie during ‘Istanbul spy mission’ and takes a video outside his hotel ‘after being told by Iranian handlers to make the trip look like a holiday’

This is the soldier accused of passing secrets to Iran, posing for a selfie during an alleged spy mission to Istanbul.

Daniel Khalife took a series of photos showing his £750 hotel room overlooking the Turkish city after he reportedly flew out to meet his Iranian handlers and deliver a ‘package’ containing classified information.

The 18-year-old filmed himself outside the five-star Hilton Istanbul Bomonti hotel, turning the camera in excitement for a video after being advised by an Iranian agent to make the mission ‘look like a holiday’, telling Khalife: ‘ don’. Don’t worry about the costs,” jurors heard.

The former soldier, now 23, sparked a nationwide manhunt when he escaped from Wandsworth prison last September after being held on espionage charges, it was said.

He is said to have absconded using sheets to tie himself to the underside of a food lorry before being captured in west London three days later.

18-year-old Daniel Khalife filmed himself outside the five-star Hilton Istanbul Bomonti hotel, turning the camera in excitement for a video after being advised by an Iranian agent to make the mission ‘look like a holiday’

Daniel Khalife took a series of photos showing his £750 hotel room

A panoramic view of his hotel room with a view over the Turkish city

Khalife’s passport is shown with Istanbul stamps and a return date from Turkey

A selection from a video in which Khalife films himself in Istanbul, outside the Hilton Hotel

Woolwich Crown Court heard how Khalife spent a week in Istanbul in September 2020 meeting with Iranian officers who addressed him in messages as “mate” and “friend” and showered him with praise for having a voice like a singer.

An Iranian agent is said to have sent him a message saying: ‘We will pay you whatever you want in our country. We look forward to seeing you in Tehran…friend.”

But Khalife later complained that his plans to travel from Turkey to Iran had “soured” because they “had not planned it properly.” the court heard.

Jurors were shown messages showing that Khalife had delivered a ‘package’ to handlers during the trip, but he panicked when he didn’t hear from them.

A year earlier, Khalife had contacted MI6 asking for a job as a ‘double agent’, boasting that he had been paid $2,000 after fooling the Iranians with fake documents, the court heard.

The security signs on the door of a secure area at Beacon Barracks

Jurors were shown an image of the dog waste bag containing an envelope containing £1,500 cash, which was allegedly left by an Iranian agent

An Iranian agent is said to have sent him a message saying: ‘We will pay you whatever you want in our country. We look forward to seeing you in Tehran…friend’

Jurors were shown messages indicating a relationship between Khalife and an alleged Iranian agent

Khalife is said to have emailed MI6 twice saying he wanted to become a secret double agent, but he got the name of the spy agency wrong and claimed he wanted to work for the ‘security service’, namely MI5.

The email said, “They said they needed me first to build trust, so I created a fake document and sent it to them.

‘After 1 week they paid me $2,000 at a drop-off point in Barnet. The reason I agreed to this is because I want to work as a double agent for the security service.’

Jurors were shown a selfie of Khalife and an image of the dog waste bag containing an envelope containing £1,500 cash, which was allegedly left by an Iranian agent, during the meeting in a park in Barnet, north London.

Three months later, Khalife sent another email to MI6 claiming that he had fobbed off Iran with Wikileaks information: “I believed I could use this new contact in Iran from the Revolutionary Guards to present myself as a double agent for the British security services.

A trophy that Daniel Khalife won when he was named junior soldier of the year in 2020

Daniel Khalife (pictured) is accused of absconding from Wandsworth Prison using a ‘makeshift sling made from sheets’ to tie himself to the underside of a food delivery van

“I collected already leaked information from wiki leaks and made it look like it was new information being sent to them.”

Prosecutor Mark Heywood QC told jurors this was just a ‘double bluff’ by Khalife, who received a total of £2,500 from Iranian intelligence after passing information from a ‘very large amount of restricted and classified material’ over two year. year.

Previously, the court heard how Khalife enjoyed a meteoric rise within the British military while secretly passing secrets to a rogue state.

He was ‘chosen’ to join a regiment dealing with secret military communications and won a young soldier award after joining the army at the age of 16.

But just months after being posted to the 16th Signal Regiment in Stafford, Khalife allegedly began providing information to Iran.

Khalife is accused of collecting the names, service numbers, rank and units of 15 SAS and SBS soldiers to pass on to his handlers.

He denies having committed an act prejudicial to the interests or security of the State by collecting information that might be useful to an enemy between May 1, 2019 and January 6, 2022, in violation of the Official Secrets Act 1911.

Khalife denies that he obtained or attempted to obtain personal information about armed forces personnel through a Defense Ministry administration system that was likely to be useful to someone committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

The suspect also denies that he committed a bomb attack and escaped from prison.

The process continues.