Afghanistan,  Global War on Terror,  Iran,  United Kingdom

Global War on Terror Watch: British Aide in Afghanistan Accused of Spying for Iran

gwotdecember21bweb

British soldiers in Afghanistan. A military aide to the British commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan has been accused of passing secrets to Iran, press reports said.

AFP: British aide in Afghanistan accused of spying for Iran

A close aide to the British commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan has been accused of passing secrets about activities there to Iran, press reports said.

Thursday’s reports come as British-led forces struggle against fiercer than expected Taliban insurgents in the south of the country, invaded by US-led forces following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Corporal Daniel James, an interpreter to Lieutenant General David Richards, the head of NATO’s more than 30,000-strong force in Afghanistan, has been charged under the Official Secrets Act with “prejudicing the safety of the state.”

Specifically he is accused of passing information “calculated to be directly or indirectly useful to the enemy” by communicating with a “foreign power”, believed to be Iran, said The Daily Telegraph and other newspapers.

James, 44, appeared at London’s City of Westminster magistrates’ court Wednesday but details of the case were not revealed as the judge ordered reporters out of court because of a “possible prejudice to national security”.

Just a reminder that the Global War on Terror is as broad and SERIOUS as the Cold War with the Soviet Union.

How many more Iranian spies will be discovered?

And people wondered and worried about interrogation tactics at Guantanamo?

Please…….

gwotdecember21aweb

Lieutenant General David Richards, the British commander of NATO in Afghanistan , gestures as he addresses a press conference in Kabul, October 2006. A close aide to Richards has been accused of passing secrets about activities there to Iran.

The Telegraph reported that James, who lived in the southern English resort town of Brighton, was of Iranian descent and spoke fluent Pashtun, the main language in Afghanistan.

The specific charge against him alleges that on November 2, for a purpose prejudicial to the safety of the state, he “communicated to another person information calculated to be directly or indirectly useful to the enemy”.

James, who appeared in court dressed smartly in a quilted jacket and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth, was remanded in custody until December 27. There was no application for bail.

The Times: British soldier ‘gave Army secrets to Iran’

Corporal James’s appearance before Senior District Judge Timothy Workman was surrounded by secrecy. The case was not on the court list and police refused to give the defendant’s name before the hearings.

One hearing was held in camera to hear argument about why large parts of the case should also be heard in secret. The judge decided that national security was involved, and only a few minutes of a session lasting nearly two hours were open to press and public.

Corporal James said nothing during the hearing other than “Yes, sir”, when confirming his name and date of birth and that he understood he would be remanded. After the closed hearing, the judge said: “I have been given certain information which leads me to the conclusion that it will be necessary to hear certain facts in camera as there is a possible prejudice to national security.” The prosecution, he said, was asking for a remand to obtain the Attorney-General’s consent for prosecution.

Corporal James stood at ease as the judge told him he would be remanded in custody until December 27. Four Special Branch officers were in court and the defendant sat in the dock with two guards. Martyn Fischer, Corporal James’s lawyer, would not comment.

Stay tuned…….


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