New Charges Against Former British Soldier: Sending Fake Document to Iran and Endangering Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's Life

A court in Britain is trying Daniel Abed Khalife, a former British soldier, on charges of endangering the life of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe by sending a fake document to Iranian authorities. Jury members reported on Tuesday, November 13, that this former British Army soldier sent a fake intelligence document to Iranian officials, stating that the release and return of Nazanin Zaghari to Britain was contingent upon the payment of a large sum of money. Judges believe that by sending this document, Daniel Abed Khalife could have exposed Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe to irreparable consequences. While Khalife initially claimed during preliminary interrogations that he prepared the fake documents to gain the trust of the Islamic Republic's officials, he stated in court on Tuesday that he could not recall the document in question. Daniel Abed Khalife, a former British soldier of Iranian descent and accused of escaping from prison, is also charged with collecting sensitive military information for the Iranian government. Additionally, a court in London has charged him with violations related to the 'Official Secrets Act' and 'terrorism' as well as attempting to build a bomb. Khalife has denied these charges as well. The 23-year-old Khalife, born in Kingston in southwest London, is of Iranian descent on his mother's side. He joined the British Army in the summer of 2018, two weeks before his 17th birthday, and was discharged and imprisoned in spring 2023 on charges of committing terrorist offenses. A few months later, he escaped from prison by hiding under a truck but was later re-arrested and tried. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at Tehran's Khomeini Airport in 2016 after a visit with family and was sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to overthrow the Iranian government. She was ultimately released in 2022 after a UK-Iran agreement involving a payment of £400 million and returned to Britain.