By A dramatic timeline of former U.S. Army soldier Daniel Khalife’s alleged prison escape unfolded before a Woolwich Crown Court jury Tuesday through extensive CCTV footage, tracking his movements from a prison kitchen to various London locations over several days.
The surveillance footage, presented by prosecutors, begins in Wandsworth Prison’s kitchen area on September 6, 2023, moments before a Bidfood delivery truck departed through the main gate. Prosecutors allege the 23-year-old Khalife, accused of gathering sensitive military information for Iran, escaped by concealing himself underneath the vehicle in a makeshift sling near the rear axle.
Witness Skye Vokins, driving behind the van, reported seeing Khalife roll from beneath the vehicle near Wandsworth roundabout, casually adjust his fringe, and walk away. The following days’ footage captured his methodical movements across London:
September 6: Cameras recorded Khalife in Richmond, where he was seen examining CCTV cameras in Mountain Warehouse before apparently leaving with an unpaid-for blue cap in a Waitrose bag.
September 7: Footage showed him purchasing shirts and jogging bottoms at Marks & Spencer in Hammersmith, followed by topping up a phone at Sainsbury’s.
September 8: Surveillance captured him reading articles about his own escape in a newsagent, purchasing the Daily Mail. Court evidence revealed he had acquired a second-hand phone and searched online about phone tracking capabilities through IMEI numbers.
September 9: Hours before his arrest, cameras recorded Khalife changing clothes in a McDonald’s toilet in Southall and purchasing an espresso. He was subsequently apprehended on a canal towpath in nearby Northolt.
Prosecutors presented evidence of Telegram messages allegedly sent to an account linked to Iranian intelligence, including one that read “I wait.” Following his recapture, Khalife told investigators, “In the army you’re literally trained for escape and evasion… You put a soldier in a cage, he only thinks about how can I get out of the cage.”
Khalife faces multiple charges, including escaping from prison, gathering information useful for Iran, collecting names of special forces soldiers potentially useful to terrorists, and perpetrating a bomb hoax at his Stafford barracks. He has entered not guilty pleas to all charges.
The prosecution’s meticulous presentation of CCTV evidence appears aimed at establishing a clear chronology of Khalife’s movements following what they characterize as a carefully planned escape. The trial continues with the defense yet to present its case.
