A man holding both British and Azerbaijani citizenship has been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of spying on behalf of Iran at the UK's RAF Akrotiri military base, according to London's Metropolitan Police.
Rashad Sultanov, 44, from Islington in north London, was arrested by Cypriot authorities on 17 July and remains in custody while extradition proceedings to the United Kingdom are under way.
The Metropolitan Police said Sultanov was arrested as part of an investigation conducted by London's counter-terrorism police into incidents that allegedly took place at RAF Akrotiri between 11 May and 22 June 2025.
According to British authorities, Sultanov is accused of carrying out"hostile surveillance" of the base and subsequently sharing information with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The case forms part of the first overseas investigation conducted under the UK's National Security Act, legislation introduced to counter hostile state activity.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the case demonstrated the UK's ability to use the National Security Act overseas when British military facilities are allegedly targeted by hostile state actors.
British prosecutors have authorised charges against Sultanov, while law enforcement authorities in Cyprus and the UK continue to cooperate as extradition proceedings advance.
RAF Akrotiri is Britain's principal air base in the Middle East and has been used in recent years for operations in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
