British-Azerbaijani national arrested for allegedly spying on airbase in Cyprus for Iran's IRGC

Cypriot authorities have arrested a dual British-Azerbaijani national on suspicion of spying on a British airbase and passing information to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Rashad Sultanov, 44, from north London, was detained on July 17 and is currently in custody pending extradition proceedings.

The arrest is part of Britain's first overseas investigation conducted under the National Security Act. Counter-terrorism police are leading the probe into alleged incidents at the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus between May 11 and June 22 of the previous year. Sultanov is accused of conducting hostile surveillance on the base and subsequently sharing findings with the IRGC.

Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing in London, stated that the case demonstrates the UK's capability to utilize the National Security Act extraterritorially when British military installations are targeted by hostile state actors. This development comes amid heightened tensions, as the IRGC had previously threatened to attack British military bases used by U.S. forces against Iran.

This incident follows other reported activities involving Iran and military bases. In March, an Iranian-type Shahed drone caused minor damage at Akrotiri. Around the same time, Iran was reported to have fired ballistic missiles at a U.S.-UK base on Diego Garcia, though the missiles missed their targets. Akrotiri is one of two bases Britain maintains in Cyprus, a former colony, and has been utilized in past military operations in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.

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This case shows we are able to use the National Security Act overseas when British military bases are allegedly targeted by hostile state activity.