British-Azerbaijani national arrested in Cyprus over alleged espionage at RAF Akrotiri

Cypriot authorities have arrested Rashad Sultanov, a 44- or 45-year-old dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Azerbaijan, in connection with alleged hostile activities targeting the British Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Akrotiri. The arrest occurred on July 17 following an investigation led by London's Counter Terrorism Policing, marking the first time the UK’s National Security Act has been applied to an overseas investigation.

Sultanov is accused of conducting hostile surveillance on the base between May 11 and June 22, 2025, and subsequently passing the gathered intelligence to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). While the suspect initially faced charges in the Limassol Criminal Court related to surveillance at the “Andreas Papandreou” air base in Paphos, the Cypriot Attorney General suspended these local proceedings to facilitate an extradition request from British authorities. Sultanov remains in custody as the extradition process continues.

Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing in London, stated that the case demonstrates the reach of the National Security Act in protecting British military interests abroad. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities finalize the legal requirements for his transfer to the United Kingdom to face trial under the charges authorized by the Crown Prosecution Service.