Cyprus court rejects UK extradition request for espionage suspect

A Cyprus district court has officially rejected a request from the United Kingdom to extradite a 45-year-old dual citizen of Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom, identified as R.S. The individual was originally arrested on June 21, 2025, by Cyprus police on charges related to the surveillance and photographing of sensitive military installations, including the British bases at Akrotiri and the Andreas Papandreou air base in Paphos. UK authorities allege that the suspect has direct links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard of Iran.

The legal proceedings have been complex. Initially, the Republic of Cyprus pursued a local prosecution at the Limassol Criminal Court. However, the Attorney General suspended these proceedings last July to facilitate the British extradition request, which was based on the claim that the alleged offenses occurred on British territory. Following the court's rejection of this extradition request, the suspension of the original local case has been lifted. Consequently, the case against R.S. is now set to be filed and heard again before the Limassol Criminal Court, where he will face the initial domestic charges.