Did jailed PhD student Matthew Hedges send a coded message in his UAE ‘confession’ video?
Matthew was sentenced to life last week, sparking a diplomatic row and the intervention of Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt
A BRIT jailed in Abu Dhabi on "spying" charges may have delivered a coded message to reveal his 'confession' was made under duress.
The astonishing claims came as academic Matthew Hedges, 31, landed back in Britain following a pardon which spared him a life sentence.
Mr Hedges was sentenced to life in prison last week sparking a diplomatic row and the intervention of Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
The UAE said a videotaped confession, which has not been released, shows Mr Hedges admitting to working for MI6 as a "captain".
No such rank exists among Britain’s spies as they are all simply known as "officers" - something experts believe the Brit would have known.
A spy is also unlikely to refer to Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) by it's former code name MI6 - something only used in books, TV and movies these days.
Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at Chatham House and a friend of the Brit, said the 'MI6 captain' phrase was probably Mr Hedges trying to hint he was under duress.
"The video 'confession' sends a very clear signal to anyone who might want to research or write about anything deemed remotely sensitive to the UAE authorities," he told the Times.
Speaking to reporters after landing home, Mr Hedges thanked everyone involved in “securing my release”. In a statement, he also praised his wife Daniela Tejada.
"She is so brave and strong, seeing her and my family after this ordeal is the best thing that could have happened. I thank you all once again, this is very surreal," he said.
He added: "I don’t know where to begin with thanking people for securing my release.
"I have not seen or read much of what has been written over the past few days but Dani tells me the support has been incredible.
"Thank you so much to the British Embassy and the FCO for their efforts in ensuring I arrived safely back home."
Daniela thanked the UAE for its "compassion" and added: "We were just starting or lives, so I'm thankful this opportunity has been given back to us."
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt welcomed the pardon, which he called "fantastic news".
This morning he tweeted his delight at Mr Hedges' safe arrival after he intervened to negotiate with the UAE.
"Welcome home Matt Hedges!" he wrote.
"The whole country is relieved and delighted to have you home. Thanks to @PatrickMoodyFCO and the FCO team in the UAE for your tireless work behind the scenes to make today possible."
But officials in the UAE last night persisted in calling him an MI6 spy.
An official told reporters in Abu Dhabi that Mr Hedges was "100 per cent a full-time secret service operative" who was in the country "to steal the UAE's sensitive security national secrets for his paymasters".
United Arab Emirates authorities showed journalists the video purporting to show the Brit confessing as evidence against him.
The clip, which officials did not allow journalists to record, shows Mr Hedges describing himself as a captain in MI6 during what appears to be a court hearing.
Another clip appears to show him speaking to someone in an office and saying: "It helps the research to go in in an easy way."
Then Hedges is seen snapping his fingers and adds: "Then it becomes MI6."
Hedges, a doctoral student at Durham University, was sentenced last week in a move described as deeply disappointing by PM Theresa May.
He was arrested on May 5 after a two-week research visit to interview sources on foreign policy as part of his PhD thesis.
After being taken into custody at Dubai Airport, he was moved to the UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi.
He was left in solitary confinement for five months after the initial accusations.
The UAE's attorney general later said Hedges was charged with spying for a foreign state, without naming it, and jeopardising the military, economic and political security of the country.
His court sentencing last week lasted less than five minutes and he had no lawyer present.
Today Mrs Tejada said she "cannot wait to have Matt back home", while sources said he could be on a flight back as soon as today.
She added: "The presidential pardon for Matt is the best news we could’ve received.
"Thank you friends, family, media, academics, and the wider public for your undivided support - I’ve been brought back to life."
And Mr Hunt said on Twitter: "Fantastic news about Matthew Hedges.
"Although we didn't agree with charges we are grateful to UAE government for resolving issue speedily.
"But also a bittersweet moment as we remember Nazanin & other innocent people detained in Iran.
"Justice won't be truly done until they too are safely home."
Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK’s director, said: "This is a huge relief and goes some way to righting a wrong after Matthew’s grossly unfair trial.
"Now Matthew needs to be speedily released and allowed to return to the UK.
"Matthew should never have been jailed after such an unfair process.
"And he should never have been held in the miserable conditions of solitary confinement. A pardon doesn’t make up for this injustice."
Emrati officials said UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued the clemency for Hedges on Sunday along with with hundreds of others.
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UAE minister of state for foreign affairs Dr Anwar Gargash said the pardon would allow the UAE and UK to "return our focus to the underlying fundamental strength of the UAE-UK bilateral relationship", the WAM Emirates news agency reported.
Dr Gargash said: "His highness the president's gracious clemency in the customary National Day pardons allows us to return our focus to the underlying fundamental strength of the UAE-UK bilateral relationship and its importance to the international community.
"It was always a UAE hope that this matter would be resolved through the common channels of our longstanding partnership.
"This was a straightforward matter that became unnecessarily complex despite the UAE's best efforts."
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