British Aide Sent For Trial, But Denies Iran Spying Claims

THE STANS

British-led forces are struggling against fiercer than expected Taliban insurgents in the south of Afghanistan, invaded by US-led forces following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States.

by Robin Millard
London (AFP) Dec 27, 2006
An aide to the British commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan was sent Wednesday for trial at London's central criminal court, accused of passing secrets to "the enemy" -- believed to be Iran. Corporal Daniel James, an interpreter to Lieutenant General David Richards, proclaimed his innocence even as he was ordered to face the Old Bailey charged under the Official Secrets Act with "prejudicing the safety of the state".

"He's innocent of the charge against him," said the soldier's solicitor David Martin outside court.

"He's looking forward to presenting his case in court and answering the allegation made and clearing his name, as he's absolutely confident he will do," he added.

The 44-year-old first appeared before magistrates last week, but returned to court Wednesday -- and judge Timothy Workman set January 12 for a preliminary hearing at the Old Bailey, England's best-known criminal court.

The charge alleges that on November 2 this year, he "communicated to another person information calculated to be, or that might be, or intended to be directly or indirectly useful to the enemy."

James' boss Richards is head of NATO's more than 30,000-strong International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. As he was led away from the dock, James said: "Not guilty. This is the way the army has repaid me."

Judge Workman told the court the bail application had been refused and told reporters details of what was said during the hearing but omitted details which might have posed a security risk to the country.

James, who lives in the southern English resort town of Brighton, is of Iranian descent and speaks fluent Pashtun, one of the main languages in Afghanistan, according to The Daily Telegraph newspaper.

At last Wednesday's initial case the judge ordered reporters out for much of the proceedings because of possible prejudice to national security, and remanded him in custody over the Christmas break.

According to The Guardian newspaper, the court ruled that there was a substantial risk of further "communications" between James and "a foreign power", and he might be "extracted" from British jurisdiction if granted bail.

The soldier's solicitor voiced his client's anger Wednesday at the charges against him.

"He served with the British army for almost 20 years in any way that he has been called to do so, irrespective of religious or political considerations and he's been proud to do so," said Martin.

"He's distressed by the false allegation apparently being made by the very people he served so loyally," he said.

The court case comes as British-led forces struggle against fiercer than expected Taliban insurgents in the south of Afghanistan, invaded by US-led forces following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States.

The charges also come amid heightening tension between the West and Iran over the Islamic republic's nuclear plans.

Source: Agence France-Presse

THE STANS

A Tipping Point In Afghanistan

Berlin (UPI) Dec 20, 2006
Messages coming out of Afghanistan increasingly resemble those that have come out of Iraq: NATO claims it is winning the war against the Taliban while critics say the military missions must be accompanied by fast-tracked reconstruction efforts to prevent the country from falling apart.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT Quake Cuts Off Much Of Asia Internet Fund To Build 46,000 Homes, Shelters For Indonesian Java Quake Victims Half Of Tsunami Donations Still Unused NASA Data Helps Pinpoint Wildfire Threats	CLIMATE SCIENCE Dire Warnings From First Chinese Climate Change Report Rising Sea Levels Engulfing Indian World Heritage Islands Climate Experts Search For Answers In The Oceans Climate scientists warn of overconfidence
EARTH OBSERVATION Europe Ready To TANGO With New EO Constellation COSMIC Provides Better Weather Forecasts, Climate Data China To Launch 22 More Meteorological Satellites By 2020 Jason-1 Celebrates Five Years In Orbit - Ocean Data Continues To Flow	ENERGY TECH Researchers Will Work With Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Hydrogen Fuel Cell Outperforms Diesel Counterpart B-52 Flight Uses Synthetic Fuel In All Eight Engines Easy Come, Easy Go: Shell And Sakhalin
EPIDEMICS Surgery deemed safe for HIV patients Malaria Kills 21 People In Flood-Hit Somalia, Toll Climbs To 141 Common PTSD Drug Is No More Effective Than Placebo Freed China Activist Says AIDS Problem Far Exceeds Official Data	FLORA AND FAUNA Animal Rights Heating Up In 2007 Diversity In The Air Borneo Shrimp Problem Worries Oil Giant Total Contrary to Common Wisdom, Some Mammals Can Smell Objects Under Water
FROTH AND BUBBLE US Court Slashes ExxonMobil Damages For Valdez Spill Study Finds Oysters Can Take Heat And Heavy Metals, But Not Both U.S. government contamination study begins Uruguay Takes Argentina To International Court Over River Blocks	ABOUT US Neanderthals different in north, south Complexity Constrains Evolution Of Human Brain Genes Protein That Kills Cells May Help Memory Human-Chimpanzee Difference May Be Bigger

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement