British-Azerbaijani Man Arrested for Spying on RAF Akrotiri

A man with British and Azerbaijani nationality, Rashad Sultanov, aged 44, has been apprehended on suspicion of conducting surveillance activities considered hostile at RAF Akrotiri, a British military installation in Cyprus, and subsequently sharing his findings with Iran. The arrest of Sultanov, a resident of Islington in north London, took place on July 17 by Cypriot authorities, and he is currently detained pending extradition procedures. The incident is part of an inquiry conducted by Counter Terrorism Policing London into alleged occurrences at RAF Akrotiri spanning from May 11 to June 22 this year. Charges under Sections 3 and 4 of the National Security Act have been sanctioned by the Crown Prosecution Service, accusing Sultanov of engaging in hostile surveillance at the facility and passing on information to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a foreign intelligence agency. Commander Helen Flanagan, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, emphasized the application of the National Security Act internationally in cases where British military bases are purportedly targeted by actions of hostile states. Collaboration between British and Cypriot law enforcement agencies has been extensive, and ongoing coordination with the Crown Prosecution Service, National Crime Agency, and Cypriot authorities continues as the extradition process advances.