The man, a dual British and Azerbaijani national, is being held in Cyprus while extradition proceedings are underway. It is the first British investigation abroad under the National Security Act.
A man with dual British and Azerbaijani nationality is being held in Cyprus pending a hearing on a request for his extradition to the United Kingdom, where the authorities accuse him of spying at the Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri, in the southern part of the island.
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The 44-year-old, who lives in Islington in north London, was arrested by the Cypriot authorities on 17 July at the request of the UK authorities, according to a statement by London's Metropolitan Police.
British authorities say he carried out "hostile surveillance" of the Akrotiri base and then shared information with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He has not been convicted and the proceedings are currently at the extradition stage.
What British authorities are investigating
The investigation is being carried out by London's counter-terrorism police and relates to incidents that allegedly occurred at RAF Akrotiri between 11 May and 22 June 2025.
"He is alleged to have carried out hostile surveillance of the base, which is a prohibited place, and then shared information with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a foreign intelligence service," the Metropolitan Police statement said.
The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised charges under sections 3 and 4 of the UK's 2023 National Security Act. These provisions cover assisting a foreign intelligence service and entering or inspecting a prohibited place with a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom. British law designates military facilities in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia as prohibited places.
According to British police, this is the first investigation in which the law has been applied to alleged offences committed on overseas territory.
"This case shows that we can use the National Security Act overseas when British military bases are alleged to be the target of hostile state activity," said Helen Flanagan, head of London's counter-terrorism police.
An unanswered question
In June 2025, a British man of Azerbaijani origin was arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of espionage and terrorism-related offences.
Reports in the Cypriot press at the time said he had been spotted acting suspiciously near the Akrotiri base, in the Limassol area.
The Cypriot police did not release further information about his identity or alleged activities.
It has not been clarified whether this was the same man, although Cypriot media had previously reported the same name.
London's Metropolitan Police did not respond to a related query from Agence France-Presse.
Why the Akrotiri base is important
RAF Akrotiri is one of the United Kingdom's key military installations in the eastern Mediterranean. It lies in the Sovereign Base Area of Akrotiri, near Limassol, and does not fall under the administrative control of the Republic of Cyprus.
Akrotiri and Dhekelia are the two areas over which the United Kingdom retained sovereignty when Cyprus gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960.
The strategic importance of the base has been thrown back into the spotlight during the war pitting Iran against the United States and Israel. On 2 March, a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle struck facilities at Akrotiri, causing minor damage.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps had also threatened to attack British bases used by US forces to launch strikes against Iran.
The Metropolitan Police said British and Cypriot agencies had undertaken "a huge amount of joint work". Cooperation is continuing, with the involvement of the Crown Prosecution Service and the UK's National Crime Agency, until the extradition request is decided.