.Army interpreter found guilty of spying for Iran in Afghanistan
A British soldier who worked as an interpreter for the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan was yesterday found guilty of spying for Iran. Corporal Daniel James was arrested after US intelligence intercepted emails and phone calls he made to a military attaché at the Iranian embassy in Kabul.
James, born in Iran, was caught with confidential documents meant only for Nato's supreme commander based at Mons in Belgium and photographs of Predator spy planes. The 45-year-old Territorial Army corporal, born Esmail Mohammed Beigi Gamasai in Tehran, acted as an interpreter for General Sir David Richards, now the new head of the British Army, and accompanied him on meetings with Afghan and Western dignitaries.
The prosecution at the Old Bailey said he had begun spying for Iran because he felt he was the victim of racism in the Army which had led to his promotion being blocked. He told one soldier: "They will have their comeuppance."
He contacted Colonel Mohammed Hossein Heydari at the Iranian embassy in Kabul. In one of his email messages to him James wrote: "In the north Iran/Iraq border they are setting up a military camp. All the ground forces are there." In another he wrote: "I have a good present for you."
Intelligence officers told the court that James's treachery could have cost the lives of British soldiers, and Mark Dennis QC, for ther prosecution, described his actions as "the height of betrayal". Western officials had accused the Iranians of trying to sabotage Nato operations in the country and helping the insurgency.
James, who moved to Britain at the age of 17, was found guilty of one count under the Official Secrets Act yesterday in relation to the emails and phone calls. The jury is continuing to deliberate on a second charge under the Act regarding a USB memory stick found in his possession allegedly containing classified material as well as a third count of misconduct in public office.
James, a flamboyant character, taught salsa at Nato HQ and once asked General Richards to join one of his classes, an invitation the general said he "respectfully declined". He built up a reputation, the court was told, for being an eccentric and "a bit of a Walter Mitty". But the British Army was acutely short of personnel who spoke the Afghan languages, Pashtu and Dari, and James's linguistic skills and cultural knowledge of the region was thought to have been of great value, the court was told.
James, who worked as a casino croupier in Brighton, was arrested in December 2006 at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on his way back to Afghan-istan after returning from a hurriedly organised trip to Amsterdam, which he is said to have organised after correspondence with Col Heydari. In evidence, James said that he used "black magic" to protect General Richards from the Taliban and he had used the same skills on himself to recover from two strokes and an operation to repair a hole in his heart.
He claimed he had contacted the Iranian embassy to "facilitate energy transaction" between Afghanistan and Iran and improve relations between Tehran and Washington.
The photos of the Predator planes were widely available publicly and the material on the USB stick had been passed on to him by an officer for work-related reasons.
Independent
James, born in Iran, was caught with confidential documents meant only for Nato's supreme commander based at Mons in Belgium and photographs of Predator spy planes. The 45-year-old Territorial Army corporal, born Esmail Mohammed Beigi Gamasai in Tehran, acted as an interpreter for General Sir David Richards, now the new head of the British Army, and accompanied him on meetings with Afghan and Western dignitaries.
The prosecution at the Old Bailey said he had begun spying for Iran because he felt he was the victim of racism in the Army which had led to his promotion being blocked. He told one soldier: "They will have their comeuppance."
He contacted Colonel Mohammed Hossein Heydari at the Iranian embassy in Kabul. In one of his email messages to him James wrote: "In the north Iran/Iraq border they are setting up a military camp. All the ground forces are there." In another he wrote: "I have a good present for you."
Intelligence officers told the court that James's treachery could have cost the lives of British soldiers, and Mark Dennis QC, for ther prosecution, described his actions as "the height of betrayal". Western officials had accused the Iranians of trying to sabotage Nato operations in the country and helping the insurgency.
James, who moved to Britain at the age of 17, was found guilty of one count under the Official Secrets Act yesterday in relation to the emails and phone calls. The jury is continuing to deliberate on a second charge under the Act regarding a USB memory stick found in his possession allegedly containing classified material as well as a third count of misconduct in public office.
James, a flamboyant character, taught salsa at Nato HQ and once asked General Richards to join one of his classes, an invitation the general said he "respectfully declined". He built up a reputation, the court was told, for being an eccentric and "a bit of a Walter Mitty". But the British Army was acutely short of personnel who spoke the Afghan languages, Pashtu and Dari, and James's linguistic skills and cultural knowledge of the region was thought to have been of great value, the court was told.
James, who worked as a casino croupier in Brighton, was arrested in December 2006 at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on his way back to Afghan-istan after returning from a hurriedly organised trip to Amsterdam, which he is said to have organised after correspondence with Col Heydari. In evidence, James said that he used "black magic" to protect General Richards from the Taliban and he had used the same skills on himself to recover from two strokes and an operation to repair a hole in his heart.
He claimed he had contacted the Iranian embassy to "facilitate energy transaction" between Afghanistan and Iran and improve relations between Tehran and Washington.
The photos of the Predator planes were widely available publicly and the material on the USB stick had been passed on to him by an officer for work-related reasons.
Independent
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