Sultanov extradition: Britain seeks trial for espionage at Akrotiri bases
The United Kingdom is seeking the extradition of a 45-year-old British passport holder detained in Cyprus on espionage charges. Rasant Sultanov is alleged to have been acting on behalf of a wanted Iranian agent.
British extradition warrant for Sultanov — connection to Iranian spy network
British authorities have submitted an official request to the Republic of Cyprus for the extradition of a 45-year-old defendant to face trial for espionage offences against Britain. According to Philenews, the man in question is Rasant Sultanov, a British passport holder, who is already facing related charges before the Permanent Criminal Court of Limassol.
Sultanov was arrested by Cyprus Police on 21 June 2025, on suspicion of photographing military installations within the British Sovereign Base Areas.
Trial postponed following British request
The Legal Service of the Republic was informed of the British extradition request last week. Last Tuesday, at a hearing before the Limassol Criminal Court, the representative of the prosecuting authority requested an adjournment pending clarification of the extradition issue. The three-member court panel accepted the request and set a new trial date.
The United Kingdom issued an arrest and extradition warrant under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the mechanism London uses after Brexit to approach EU member states in such cases. The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Cyprus is now awaiting the necessary supporting documents from British authorities that would justify the warrant.
The British position: espionage on British territory
The extradition request is directly connected to the nature of the charges against Sultanov. British authorities believe the alleged offences were committed within the Akrotiri bases, which are subject to British sovereignty, and therefore constitute espionage on British territory against British interests.
This development carries particular weight in the current context: the status of the British bases and the degree of their involvement in military operations in the Middle East is already a concern for the Cypriot government, whilst the issue was the subject of reporting by Politico on 31 May 2026.
Broad British involvement from the outset
The interest of British services in the case is evident from the day of arrest. Shortly after Sultanov's arrest, journalists from Britain came to Cyprus to monitor developments in the case.
In November 2025, as Philenews revealed at the time, the United Kingdom, through Eurojust, had approached the Republic of Cyprus requesting the establishment of a Joint Investigation Team for further investigation of the case.
Connection to wanted Iranian agent
Information presented to Philenews during journalistic investigation of the case reveals that Cypriot authorities have received classified intelligence according to which Sultanov is acting on behalf of Azerbaijani-Iranian Elshad Elchin Hajiyev.
Hajiyev is considered the "mastermind" of a network that gathers intelligence for Iran, having recruited a number of agents — among whom, according to the information, Sultanov himself.
The same name is connected to another espionage case in Cyprus: according to classified information from Cypriot authorities, Hajiyev is said to have recruited and organised the trip to Cyprus of a couple arrested on 26 February 2026. They are a 28-year-old Azerbaijani and a 27-year-old Estonian who were suspected of photographing Israeli interests in Paphos.
International wanted notice since 2022
Hajiyev's name came to light in the late previous decade through investigations by Azerbaijani authorities. In November 2022, Azerbaijan's State Security Service issued a related statement, noting that it is conducting "extensive investigative measures in relation to cases of secret involvement of Azerbaijani citizens by Iranian special services in military exercises outside the country, financing and guidance of their activities, as well as keeping them within the sphere of influence through blackmail and other violent methods."
In the same statement, the name "Elshad Elchin oglu Hajiyev (Akram Hajizade)" is explicitly mentioned as one of the leaders of an illegal armed organisation operating under Iranian control. Hajiyev has been placed on an international wanted list and, according to the statement, is hiding in Iran.
Appeal to the ECtHR
Meanwhile, the 45-year-old Sultanov, through his lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou, has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), according to a Philenews publication on 31 May 2026. The defence argues that his client is being held unlawfully in Central Prisons and that provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights have been violated in his case.
Source: Philenews