Cypriot authorities detained a British and Azerbaijani citizen on suspicion of collecting intelligence information about the British Akrotiri airbase and transferring it to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). London police announced the arrest of the suspect on Friday, The Jerusalem Post writes.
According to police, 44-year-old Rashad Sultanov, living in the London area of Islington, was detained by Cypriot authorities on July 17. He currently remains in custody while extradition proceedings continue.
The investigation is being carried out as part of the first overseas case under the UK National Security Act. It is being carried out by counter-terrorism units examining incidents that occurred at the British Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus between May 11 and June 22 last year.
The investigation believes that Sultanov conducted covert surveillance of the base and then passed on the collected information to the IRGC.
Akrotiri is one of two British military bases remaining in Cyprus after the island gained independence in 1960. It was used during military operations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.