Iran-Linked Terror Suspect Charged With Unlawful Escape
British police have charged an ex-soldier with alleged ties to Iran with unlawfully escaping from custody following a four-day manhunt in West London.
British police have charged an ex-soldier with alleged ties to Iran with unlawfully escaping from custody following a four-day manhunt in West London.
Daniel Khalife, a 21-year-old former soldier accused of passing information to the Islamic Republic, had absconded from Wandsworth prison on Monday morning by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery truck.
He was recaptured in west London on Saturday while cycling alongside a canal.
"A man who was arrested after escaping from HMP Wandsworth has been charged," the Metropolitan Police said. "Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 11 September."
Khalife, who was discharged from the British army in May, was charged with escaping "contrary to common law" while being remanded in custody. He had been held pending trial on offences relating to terrorism and the Official Secrets Act.
He is accused of eliciting or trying to elicit information likely to be useful to a person preparing an act of terrorism while he was based at barracks in central England in 2021, and staging a bomb hoax by placing three canisters with wires on a desk.
He had also been charged with obtaining information which might be "directly or indirectly useful to an enemy". The BBC has reported he was accused of gathering intelligence for Iran.
Daniel Abed Khalife embarked on his military career in 2019, stationed at MoD Stafford, also known as Beacon Barracks, prior to his disappearance on January 2. The incident was linked to an alleged bomb hoax. Subsequent court proceedings at Westminster Magistrates' Court unveiled allegations of Khalife planting mock explosive devices with the intent of inducing fear.
(With reporting by Reuters)
