A man from the UK has been apprehended on suspicion of conducting surveillance activities targeted at RAF Akrotiri, a British military facility located in Cyprus. Identified as Rashad Sultanov, aged 44 and holding citizenship in both the UK and Azerbaijan, he is alleged to have gathered intelligence about the military base, subsequently sharing this information with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
The arrest of Sultanov was executed by Cypriot authorities on July 17, and he is currently in custody pending extradition procedures. The incident is under scrutiny as part of an investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing London, focusing on activities at RAF Akrotiri during the period of May 11 to June 22 of this year.
Charges have been officially sanctioned by the Crown Prosecution Service under Sections 3 and 4 of the National Security Act, accusing Sultanov of engaging in hostile surveillance at the military site and then divulging sensitive data to the IRGC, identified as a foreign intelligence service.
Commander Helen Flanagan, overseeing Counter Terrorism Policing London, emphasized the utilization of the National Security Act in international cases involving suspected hostile actions against British military establishments. Collaboration between British and Cypriot law enforcement agencies has been instrumental in advancing the investigation. Ongoing cooperation with the Crown Prosecution Service, the National Crime Agency, and Cypriot authorities is crucial as extradition proceedings move forward.