A British-Azerbaijani man has been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of conducting espionage on behalf of Iran by allegedly surveilling a British military base on the Mediterranean island, UK authorities said.
London's Metropolitan Police said 44-year-old Rashad Sultanov, a resident of London, was arrested on July 17 and is accused of carrying out "hostile surveillance" of RAF Akrotiri and sharing information with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). British authorities are seeking his extradition to the United Kingdom, The Washington Post reports.
Prosecutors have authorised charges against Sultanov under the UK's National Security Act following an investigation by counterterrorism detectives into incidents at RAF Akrotiri in May and June 2025.
"This case shows we are able to use the National Security Act overseas when British military bases are allegedly targeted by hostile state activity," said Commander Helen Flanagan of London's Counter Terrorism Command.
British media reported that Sultanov works as a taxi driver in London.
RAF Akrotiri is the UK's principal air base for operations in the Middle East. In recent years, it has supported British air operations against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, as well as strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. The base was also targeted by an Iranian-made drone in March during the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran.
The case comes weeks after the United Kingdom banned Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, describing it as a threat to national security.
British officials and intelligence experts have warned of an increase in Iran-linked activities across Europe, including attacks attributed to Tehran-backed proxy groups targeting Jewish communities and opponents of Iran's government.
Britain retained sovereignty over RAF Akrotiri and another military base in Cyprus after the island gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960.
By Sabina Mammadli
