Cyprus initiates extradition proceedings for Rashad Sultanov

The Republic of Cyprus has initiated extradition proceedings against 45-year-old Rashad Sultanov, who holds both Azerbaijani and British citizenship, to the United Kingdom. Sultanov was previously facing charges in the Limassol Criminal Court for alleged surveillance at the Andreas Papandreou air base in Paphos. The Attorney General suspended these proceedings last Friday following a formal request from British authorities. British investigators suspect Sultanov of espionage related to the Royal Air Force Akrotiri Bases. UK authorities allege he has ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and purportedly transmitted visual data to a handler identified as Elsad Elsin Hajiyev. Hajiyev, who is currently the subject of an international arrest warrant, is described by authorities as the lead operative of an intelligence-gathering network. Sultanov was re-arrested immediately after the suspension of the local case and is scheduled to appear for an extradition hearing in Limassol today. His legal counsel, Efstathios Efstathiou, is expected to present his defense during these proceedings.