Nightclub manager charged with spying

LONDON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A former nightclub manager and salsa dancing teacher has been accused of spying on England for Iran, the Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

British army Cpl. Daniel James, 44 was charged with passing secrets to a foreign power under England's 1911 Official Secrets Act. A member of the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment Territorial Army, James is accused of passing intelligence while working as a translator for Lt. Gen. David Richards, the newspaper reported.

James, who is of Iranian descent and changed his name 10 years ago, owns five houses in England, used to manage a nightclub in London and once taught salsa dancing and aerobics.

Friends were surprised at the news. "I never heard him utter a word that was anti-British or anti-American. He was a friend of the British," a friend told the newspaper.

England's Ministry of Defense refused comment and a news blackout from NATO headquarters in Kabul prevented the Daily Telegraph from gathering more specific details of the charges against James, the newspaper said.