Daniel Khalife's SAS obsession may have 'emboldened' him during escape, says expert

Daniel Khalife, 23, was recovered blameworthy by a assemblage successful Woolwich Crown Court connected violations of Britain’s Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act by collecting accusation utile to an force — Iran

Daniel Khalife's obsession with the SAS whitethorn person 'emboldened' him successful his situation flight and consequent attempts to evade capture, an ex-army serviceman has told the Mirror.

The 23-year-old was recovered blameworthy by a assemblage successful Woolwich Crown Court connected violations of Britain’s Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act by collecting accusation utile to an force — Iran. He was cleared of a complaint of planting fake bombs successful his subject barracks.

Khalife was awaiting proceedings erstwhile helium broke retired of Wandsworth Prison successful September 2023 by utilizing a sling made retired of trousers from the situation room to necktie himself to the underside of a catering truck.

He was captured aft an undercover bull tackled him arsenic helium rode a bicycle adjacent a span connected the Grand Union Canal astatine Northolt. Witnesses described the fugitive arsenic besides having a Waitrose container of groceries and sleeping container with him erstwhile helium was detained.

Colonel Philip Ingram, a erstwhile British Army quality officer, said Khalife's emotion for solo endurance excursions and fascination with the peculiar forces portion could person fixed him assurance to judge helium could successfully spell connected the run.

An unnamed ex-soldier who trained with the convict astatine Blandford Camp, Dorset, told the Mirror: “When we did a endurance people helium truly excelled astatine it. He would vanish astatine the play with a fewer bits of camping gear, spending the nighttime retired successful the open. He truly thought that 1 time helium would get into the SAS, utilizing what helium learned successful training. That was his dream. And helium was ever saying helium was Middle Eastern and was adjacent trying to larn Farsi from a connection learning app.”

But Mr Ingram - who spent much than 25 years successful the subject - said specified basal level grooming is "very different" to "doing it for real". He added: "He won’t person had immoderate circumstantial grooming and a civilian people doesn’t springiness you capable experience. It mightiness person emboldened him to deliberation helium could bash it from a intelligence constituent of view. He wouldn’t person had immoderate monolithic skills, if helium had helium wouldn’t person been f***ing astir inactive recognisable arsenic an individual."

Khalife admitted escaping from HMP Wandsworth. The jailhouse interruption was conducted successful the anticipation that helium would beryllium kept successful a precocious information portion (HSU) astatine a antithetic situation distant from “sex offenders” and “terrorists” aft his recapture, his proceedings had been told earlier successful proceedings.

He got beyond the situation walls aft strapping himself to the bottommost of a transportation van - and had reportedly tried the aforesaid instrumentality connected August but the supports had snapped. A situation root told the Mirror Khalife had antecedently boasted successful beforehand of guards astir however helium planned to escape.

Jurors were shown a leafage of Khalife’s situation diary with an asterisk marking September 6 2023 – the time helium was to escape. The erstwhile worker tied himself to the underside of the nutrient transportation motortruck utilizing a sling made of room trousers, the tribunal heard.

Khalife told jurors helium planned a fake flight effort for August successful the anticipation helium would beryllium moved to the HSU astatine MP Belmarsh, but decided escaping for existent was his lone enactment aft the incidental was not reported to elder situation staff.

The tribunal heard Khalife had been told he'd beryllium kept connected a helping for susceptible prisoners astatine Wandsworth due to the fact that determination were “terrorist offenders” who “want to termination you”.

Khalife told jurors that “95%” of those successful the portion were “serious enactment offenders, rapists, paedophiles, that benignant of thing”. In admitting his escape, Khalife said “I judge that I near the situation and I didn’t person immoderate permission,” but helium added: “I was ne'er a existent spy."