A British man has been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of spying on a UK military base for the Iranian military. Rashad Sultanov, 44, of Islington, north London, who also holds Azerbaijani citizenship, is accused of carrying out "hostile surveillance" on RAF Akrotiri.
Sultanov was arrested by Cypriot police on 17 July and is currently in custody, pending extradition proceedings. The Crown Prosecution Service has stated he will be charged under the National Security Act.
The investigation, led by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London, focused on alleged spying between 11 May 2025 and 22 June 2025. Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, said the case demonstrates the ability to use the National Security Act overseas when British military bases are allegedly targeted by hostile state activity.
RAF Akrotiri has been a permanent UK base since the 1950s, and has been used in recent months for RAF operations to shoot down Iranian missiles and drones.