Riz Ahmed Says UK Intelligence Tried to Recruit Him 3 Times, Including via Senior BBC Executive
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 24
Riz Ahmed Says UK Intelligence Tried to Recruit Him 3 Times, Including via Senior BBC Executive
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 24
Riz Ahmed said British intelligence services tried to recruit him three times, including once through a senior BBC executive who has since left the broadcaster.
On Zeteo, the 43-year-old actor said the first approach came after his film The Road to Guantánamo, when officers detained him at Luton airport, questioned him and then asked him to “keep an eye out for us.”
Ahmed said a second attempt came through a family friend, but he did not identify the alleged BBC figure or provide further details about any of the approaches.
The Oscar- and Emmy-winning British-Pakistani actor framed the episodes as “inherently comedic,” joking that it would make a “sick biopic” if he had actually become “a fed.”
Is Riz Ahmed's story a glimpse into a wider reality of AI-driven surveillance targeting UK minorities?
When actors portray politically charged roles, do they become targets for real-world intelligence agencies?
What does an ex-BBC executive's role reveal about the line between UK media and state security?