So. Sentenced to life last week for spying, released this week as part of a national day of ‘clemency’ (WTF?)

Wife interviewed and sounds almost too well briefed and hasn’t got a bad (or commital) word to say about the Emirates authorities…..

Somthing smells fishy, and I’m not talking about the contents of Baldrick’s apple crumble.

Well I certainly would not say a word until he is back in the UK, no need to provoke a reaction.

Fishy as anything.  His story does not ring true to me but even if it is how stupid was he?  How would our authorities take an arab coming to the UK and digging around in defence stuff?

I am with Mike.

Oh and don’t mention Yemen.

I bet I know someone that does.

makes you think.

tj +1

He is either a spy or an idiot (he could be both), of course a life sentence is rather a strong punishment for stupidity.

How would our authorities take an arab coming to the UK and digging around in defence stuff?

VIP Passes and free parking?

He’s either a shit spy or a fall-guy, sent over to distract them from something else

A bit fishy to say the least.

Hunt was on the news trying his best to bojo it by talking.

Nice bit of ‘soft’ espionage there. Bit harsh not to just kick him out in the first place.

It’s as fishy as a fish mongers after 24hrs of power cuts in summer.

I think she is well briefed because of the situation.

I’m more inclined to think the chap is a thick PhD student who genuinely didn’t think through digging through Arab security business could have any side effects….

That part of the world recently dismembered Jamal khishoggi (sp?)

Let’s arrest a westerner then release him, we look like good guys then 😉

Well Saudi Arabia and the UAE are separate nations – but I guess they all look the same to you eh?

Yes

i think it’s UAE trying to have their cake and eat it.

As far as I can see the rest of the middle east (esp S.A.) looks down their nose at the UAE because it’s full of casinos, bankers and footballers wives, and they don’t hang people for wearing skirts or allowing a woman to use the telly remote.

So every once in a while they crack down really hard on some unfortunate Westerners, like that guy who got 4 years because there was a speck of cannabis in the tread of his shoe (pardoned 3 weeks later) or the bloke who also got 4 years for having a poppy seed on his shirt from a bagel he ate on the plane.

They then wave the headlines towards SA, say ‘see?  We’re well intolerant, us’, before pardoning them all and hoping it doesn’t affect the tourist numbers too much

From what I heard on the radio last week, everything he wrote about was readily available from open public sources, there was nothing secret at all in what he was doing. See also the individuals in doris5000’s post above.

His viva will be fun I expect!!

Will Young? A spy? Blimey.

Will Young?

He looks like Will Young. If you squint.

Whether he is a spy or not is not the point.

Jail first then talk later … for poking his nose into other sovereign state affairs.  If he really wants to conduct a research there at least he should get their govt clearance or permission first.  Not simply poke his nose into how they govern their nation. (We all know that it’s with iron fist). Don’t know their culture then learn their culture first.

If the govt over there does Not want others to interfere with their affairs then others should leave them alone by respecting them.   Don’t like it then Don’t go there.

Is the wife of Persian heritage?  If so then people should know there are plenty of Persian people living in that region and form the majority of the population there. Think is like 3 to 1. However, the Arabs are in charged and are very wary of the majority creating trouble No matter how small …

He is either the worlds worst spy or an idiot. This was always the outcome.

idiot goes to strict Middle Eastern state and interviews people about security issues

gets arrested

will admit to crimes and sign documents in Arabic

will be convicted to show the system works and the pardoned or released to the uk as an act of goodwill

its as though he has never seen any episodes of locked up abroad

He’d have been better choosing a different subject for his PhD. Did he not think that it might be misconstrued?

He’d have been better choosing a different subject for his PhD. Did he not think that it might be misconstrued?

The supervisor should also be responsible for giving him the permission …

Don’t know their culture then learn their culture first.

Well, apparently he lived there since he was 9, so maybe he had an idea about the culture, eh?

This thread shows my appalling grasp of both geography and political matters. I thought the UAE was an airline.

I went on a fast rollercoaster there last month (partners bro works out there).

Horrible place generally. Not much petty crime, trade off is absolute monarchy and gold SUVs.

Like meadowhall in the desert.

I doubt he’s a spy, what he was doing was far too overt. It does come across more of naivety from a student however there could also be a behind-the-scenes political thing going on (e.g. UAE aware that there’s active British espionage going on but as they can’t uncover it or stop it they send a warning message by arresting/imprisoning a British citizen on trumped up charges).

Like meadowhall in the desert.

That’s how I described traveling through the airport there to Mrs_oab….

Not sure if he is a spy but he was naive to the point of stupidity – however, what I do find odd is his tutor was on the radio saying they had risk assessed his phd and decided it was all fine!  Knowing what we do about the abuse of human rights in these countries it can’t have been much of a risk assessment!!

Interesting that this is affiliated to Durham university where his PhD was taking place.

The Durham Global Security Institute (DGSi) pursues research across the contemporary security agenda, focusing on the interface between defence, development and diplomacy as the arena where the most important and challenging security issues arise. Drawing on its network of academic and practitioner expertise, DGSi’s research and educational activity is practically-oriented, innovative and ambitious in casting new light on security challenges and identifying effective responses to complex problems.

Even fisher is the address of DGSi

Durham Global Security Institute
Al-Qasimi Building

Would that be the same Al-Qasimi that are a ruling royal family in the…………….. UAE

Makes you think !!😂

Wait until he tells his wife he’s switching his PhD subject to “Imprisonment and tolerance issues in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” Field works starts next week.

arf!

Well he’s landed back in London.. definitely fishy

although the stupidity reminds me of a time  years back when I was traveling in Australia and just come from se Asia, an Aussie had smuggled drugs from Bangkok to Sydney unfortunately for him the airfare was a little high so he decided to save 100 dollars by flying via Singapore, needless to say he got caught, arrested and sentenced to death..

the guy must have emotions all over the place one minute he’s locked up in a foreign jail for life and the next flying back to uk a free man undoubtedly for his 5 mins of fame ..

Meadowhall in a dessert 😂

From today’s paper:

It can now be revealed that UAE claims Hedges’ release could have been secured in the summer but was prolonged partly due to insufficient high-level assurances by the Foreign Office that he was not a spy.

It has been suggested that Boris Johnson, who was foreign secretary until 9 July, was not seen as a reliable pair of hands after he bungled aspects of the Foreign Office efforts to release Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Another triumph for the floppy-haired moron. And some people want this guy to be PM ???

Meadowhall in a dessert

Sounds horrific. Jail and having your rights utterly abused sounds like a better alternative to visiting for holiday.

He’s conducted research in the same field and in the same country before. He’s even written speeches for some pretty high ranking UAE military officers, and had lived there in and off for a good portion of his life. It’s likely he pissed off some local Shiek (by you know, conducting his research uncovertly, just like a spy…obvs) who had him arrested, and it’s likely Hedges just didn’t know the right people to get a quick release.

Don’t know their culture then learn their culture first.

Uh-huh…

I think he is a spy, the ‘academic doing some research’ is just a cover-up.

Espionage isn’t all Aston Martins, Martini Cocktails & blokes with metal teeth.

Probably.