A wanted sign featuring an image of Daniel Abed Khalife, a former soldier who is suspected of terrorism offences, is displayed near Wandsworth prison in London, Britain, September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Anna Gordon/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) - A British soldier accused of passing sensitive information to people linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and of then breaking out of prison told jurors on Wednesday that he and his family were opposed to the Iranian government.
Daniel Abed Khalife allegedly collected sensitive information between May 2019 and January 2022, prosecutor Mark Heywood told jurors at the start of the trial at London's Woolwich Crown Court.
Khalife, who is no longer a member of the British armed forces, is also accused of leaving a fake bomb on a desk and absconding from his barracks in 2023, and then escaping from prison, sparking a brief nationwide manhunt.
The 23-year-old is standing trial charged with gathering information that might be useful to an enemy, namely Iran – an offence under the Official Secrets Act.
Khalife has denied all the charges.
Prosecutors say Khalife picked up around 1,500 pounds ($2,000) in 2019 on instructions from his handler and anonymously emailed Britain's MI6 foreign intelligence service two weeks later, saying he wanted "to work as a double agent".
He is also charged with obtaining information likely to be useful for terrorism, perpetrating a bomb hoax and escaping from custody.
As he began giving evidence on Wednesday, his lawyer Gul Nawaz Hussain asked Khalife whether he or his family supported the Iranian government.
"To this day, I don't think I've ever met one person who lives outside of Iran who isn't hostile to the government," Khalife said.
"My mother detests the regime, probably the country as well, and that goes for the entirety of my family ... me and my family are against the regime in Iran."
Khalife also spoke about visiting the Islamic Republic, where his mother was born, saying: "Every day that I was in that country, I wanted to come back. I hated it.
"I thought it was a horrible place: the weather, the government, police, everything."
He described his plan as being to "spread disinformation for the purposes of furthering our national security interests", adding: "I understand this plan may sound a bit outlandish."
The trial continues.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Mark Heinrich)
