A spy-accused former soldier thought British security services would be “impressed” with him after he covertly gathered the names of special forces personnel, his trial has heard.

Daniel Khalife, 23, told a court he was “surprised” when he discovered a “flaw” in an internal HR system for booking leave, allowing him to find further details about the soldiers on a promotions list in 2021.

He took a photo of a handwritten list of 15 soldiers, including some serving in the Special Air Service and Special Boat Service, the court was told previously.

Prosecutors claim Khalife was paid in cash by the Iranian intelligence service for secret information gathered during his time in the Army.

Khalife said he was worried about being “ignored again” by the security services, and wanted to prove he was someone with “access” to important material.

“I wanted to be given the opportunity to explain myself,” he said.

“I have always had a gift for exposing flaws in security.”

“I was the only person in the Ministry of Defence who discovered this flaw,” he added.

Khalife told Woolwich Crown Court he only tested seven named from the internal promotions spreadsheet against the HR flaw.

“I thought the security services were going to be impressed with me,” he said.

“It was a way of advertising my skillset.”

Earlier on Thursday, Khalife told the court he had considered travelling to Iran before deciding it would be too “dangerous”.

The former soldier said he wanted to “draw out” the Iranian intelligence officers he was in touch with and “strengthen the relationship based on lies”.

Daniel Khalife court case
Daniel Khalife is accused of escaping from prison and charges contrary to the Official Secrets Act (PA)

In August 2020 he travelled to Istanbul in Turkey, the court heard, where he was told to get a flight to Iran.

Khalife told jurors he “purposefully sabotaged the operation” by coming up with excuses as to why he could not travel any further.

The former soldier, who described himself as an “aviation nerd”, told the foreign agents he was “afraid” of flying on the old aircraft operated by Mahan Air.

Asked why he had fled his army barracks in January 2023, Khalife said he was “scared” for his safety having misled the Iranians.

“I was not thinking straight, I was a young lad,” he said.

“I’m certainly not a terrorist or a traitor.”

Later, while on remand, he is alleged to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth in September 2023 by tying himself to the underside of a food delivery truck using bedsheets.

As well as the prison escape, he also faces charges contrary to the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act, and is accused of perpetrating a bomb hoax.

He denies all the charges, and the trial continues.