London man held in Cyprus over alleged spying on RAF Akrotiri for Iran

London,UPDATED: Jul 31, 2026 12:54 IST

British police said a London man has been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of spying on a UK air force base on the Mediterranean island for Iran. The Metropolitan Police said 44-year-old Rashad Sultanov, a UK-Azerbaijani national, is accused of carrying out "hostile surveillance" of RAF Akrotiri and sharing information with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Sultanov was arrested on July 17, and British police are seeking his extradition. Prosecutors have authorised charges under the Security Act after an investigation led by counterterror detectives into incidents at RAF Akrotiri in May and June 2025.

Police said Sultanov lives in London, while British media reported that he works as a taxi driver. Speaking about the case, Commander Helen Flanagan of London's counterterror policing unit said, "This case shows we are able to use the Security Act overseas when British military bases are allegedly targeted by hostile state activity."

RAF Akrotiri is the UK's main air base for operations in the Middle East. In recent years, it has been used by British warplanes on missions against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq and to strike Houthi targets in Yemen. The base was struck by an Iranian-made drone in March, early in the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Earlier this month, the United Kingdom banned Iran's powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, saying it is a threat to national security. Law enforcement officials and intelligence experts have said Iran-backed proxy groups are behind a growing number of attacks in Europe, with most targeting the Jewish community and opponents of Iran's Islamic government.

Britain retained Akrotiri and another base on Cyprus after the eastern Mediterranean island gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960. The case centres on allegations that surveillance linked to Iran was carried out against one of the UK's most important military bases in the region.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends