General’s aide was an Iranian spy

An Old Bailey jury convicted Daniel James, an interpreter for a British general of spying for Iran last week (Sky News);

Daniel James, 45, was caught betraying Britain in a series of coded emails he sent to an Iranian contact, the Old Bailey heard.

His work as an interpreter for General David Richards – who has since become head of the British Army – allowed him access to the highest echelons of the Nato mission in Kabul.

Prosecutors told the jury that senior intelligence officers believed James’ actions could have cost the lives of UK soldiers and even endangered the security of Britain itself.

The Guardian says he was about to hand over situation reports of NATO operations to his Iranian handlers;

The core of the prosecution case was that James, 45, tried to hand over to his Iranian contact classified information about Nato equipment and operations in Afghanistan. “The concern in this case is not so much the actual damage done by the known disclosure of information, but in the potential damage that could have occurred if the defendant’s activities had not been curtailed by his early detection and arrest,” Mark Dennis QC, prosecuting, told the jury.

According witnesses, his motives were along the lines of Benedict Arnold’s treason (Birmingham Post);

The Iranian-born corporal, a flamboyant fantasist who styled himself “General James,” believed he had been denied promotion because of racism and jealousy, he told the Central Criminal Court — better known as the Old Bailey — in London.

He told one colleague: “They will have their comeuppance.”

James also needed money. He was pounds 25,000 in debt and had four mortgages on flats in Brighton – although he later claimed he would not give away secrets for a million pounds.

Category: Politics