British dual national arrested in Cyprus for spying on behalf of Iran at RAF Akrotiri base
Rashad Sultanov, 44, a British and Azerbaijani national, was detained on 17 July in Cyprus on suspicion of passing information about RAF Akrotiri base to the IRGC.
Suspected pro-Iranian spy arrested in Cyprus following surveillance of British air base
A man with dual British and Azerbaijani nationality has been arrested in Cyprus on charges of "hostile surveillance" of the Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Akrotiri and of passing information to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to G4Media, which cites news agencies dpa/PA Media, AFP and Reuters, as reported by Agerpres.
Rashad Sultanov, aged 44, was detained on 17 July by Cypriot authorities and is held in custody pending extradition proceedings, the Metropolitan Police in London confirmed. This is the first investigation carried out under the National Security Act in connection with alleged offences committed on a British overseas territory, the police added.
The investigation is being conducted by the counter-terrorism unit and concerns incidents that took place at RAF Akrotiri between 11 May and 22 June of last year. According to the official statement, Sultanov allegedly carried out surveillance activities on the base and subsequently passed on the information collected to the IRGC.
AFP recalls that in March, Akrotiri base was targeted by Iranian-made drones, in the context of the Middle East conflict triggered by Israeli and American strikes against Iran.
Source: G4Media