Daniel Khalife, a former British soldier, has been convicted of passing sensitive information to the Iranian intelligence service, in violation of Britain’s Official Secrets Act. The 23-year-old was found guilty by a jury in Woolwich Crown Court of collecting and sharing classified material beneficial to Iran, including the names of special forces officers.

Khalife, who had previously made headlines for a dramatic escape from a London prison, was acquitted of planting fake bombs in his military barracks. Prosecutors described his actions as a “cynical game,” with Khalife claiming he had been trying to act as a double agent for Britain. He told the court his contacts with Iranian officials were part of an elaborate scheme inspired by the TV show Homeland to aid British national security ultimately.

Khalife joined the British Army at age 16 and was assigned to the Royal Corps of Signals. He reached out to Iranian intelligence at 17 and began sharing classified information. Despite his mother’s Iranian heritage preventing him from joining the British intelligence services, Khalife was granted NATO security clearance.

His espionage activities went undetected until he contacted MI6, claiming to have earned the trust of his Iranian handlers. Khalife also asserted that much of the material he provided was fabricated or publicly available, but British security officials deemed his actions a serious breach of national security.