A suspected spy with links to Iran has been arrested in Cyprus after allegedly carrying out surveillance of an RAF base used for Britain’s military operations in the Middle East.
The man, said to be of Azerbaijani descent, appeared before a district court in Nicosia on Saturday after being detained on suspicion of espionage and terrorism-related offences.
Cypriot media reported that the suspect had been spying on RAF Akrotiri and Cyprus’s own Andreas Papandreou airbase since mid-April.
According to unconfirmed reports, a camera with a telephoto lens and three mobile phones were found at a property used by the suspect. He is said to have told Cypriot police that he was a tourist.
A US Air Force C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft at Andreas Papandreou airbase on Wednesday
AP
Akrotiri is the main staging post for UK military operations in the region.
Last year RAF Typhoons were scrambled from the base to strike Iranian drones targeting Israel. It could play a pivotal role if Britain were to intervene in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
The RAF recently moved an additional six Typhoons to Akrotiri, taking the total number of British fighter jets at the base to 14.
RAF Akrotiri is home to more than 1,500 British military personnel
ALAMY
The man, who allegedly has links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was arrested in the coastal city of Limassol.
He was remanded in custody for eight days after his court appearance, pending further inquiries. Cypriot police said no further details about the case would be issued, citing national security.
The al-Quds force of the IRGC is responsible for external operations and has previously been linked to assassination and kidnap plots against Iran’s opponents in the West.