Former MI6 agent in court on secrets charge

LONDON (Reuters) - A former agent from the foreign secret service was remanded in custody on Wednesday after appearing in court charged with trying to sell stolen intelligence files for 2 million pounds.

Daniel Houghton, 25, a former member of the Secret Intelligence Service known as MI6, appeared at City of Westminster magistrates' court to face one charge of theft and another of breaking the Official Secrets Act.

The charges state that between September 2007 and May 2009 he stole "a number of electronic files containing techniques for intelligence collection" used by the domestic MI5 spy agency.

The court heard that he attempted to sell them to an unnamed foreign intelligence service.

The other accusation is that he disclosed this information "without lawful authority" on Monday, the Press Association reported.

He was arrested at a central London hotel on Monday after an undercover operation involving Scotland Yard detectives and secret service agents.

Houghton, who holds British and Dutch nationality, was remanded in custody and ordered to appear at the same court on March 11.

(Reporting by Michael Holden and Stefano Ambrogi; Editing by Dominic Evans)