Army translator Daniel James was 'Walter Mitty' character who spied for Iran

Michael Evans, Defence Editor A former army interpreter for the British commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan passed confidential information about troop movements and locations to a contact in the Iranian Embassy in Kabul, an Old Bailey trial was told today. Corporal Daniel James, 45, who had served with the Territorial Army for 18 years, was working for General (now Sir) David Richards, commander of Nato’s International Security Assistance force (Isaf) in the Afghan capital when he began to switch his loyalty from the United Kingdom to Iran, the country of his birth, the court heard. Over a period of months in 2006, Mr James, whose real name was Esmail Mohammed Beigi Gamasai but changed it by deed poll in 1997, sent e-mails and made telephone calls to Colonel Mohammad Hossein Heydari, a military assistant at the Iranian... [read full story]