LONDON (AP) – A British army interpreter suspected of spying for Iran said Friday that he sent coded messages as part of an attempt to set up a possible gas deal, not because he was stealing secrets.

Prosecutors accuse Cpl. Daniel James of espionage while he worked in Afghanistan in 2006 as a translator to Gen. David Richards, who was then NATO commander and due to take command of Britain's army in 2009. On Thursday, James told the court he was a voodoo priest and had used black magic to protect Richards from the Taliban.
James, who was born in Iran but moved to Britain as a teenager, sent e-mails to Iran's military attache in Kabul, Col. Mohammad Heydar, including one which ended with the phrase, “I am at your service.”
He denies charges of communicating information useful to an enemy and collecting information — including two NATO situation reports — on a USB memory device. He also denies willful misconduct in public office.
As James gave testimony, defense lawyer Colin Nicholls asked whether he had switched loyalties from Britain to the country of his birth.
“Nonsense. I am still loyal to Britain. I am still a soldier,” James told jurors at London's Old Bailey.