British man accused of spying on RAF base in Cyprus for Iran

A British man has been arrested on suspicion of spying on a UK military base in Cyprus on behalf of the Iranian military.

Rashad Sultanov, 44, of Islington, north London, is accused of carrying out “hostile surveillance” on RAF Akrotiri and sharing information with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Sultanov, who also holds Azerbaijani citizenship, was arrested by Cypriot police on 17 July and is in custody pending extradition proceedings.

The Crown Prosecution Service has said he will be charged under the National Security Act – the first time an alleged offence under the 2023 law has been investigated in an overseas territory.

The UK has maintained a permanent base at Akrotiri since the 1950s and RAF operations to shoot down Iranian missiles and drones have been launched from there in recent months.

The investigation, which was led by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London, focused on alleged spying between 11 May 2025 and 22 June 2025.

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, said: “This case shows we are able to use the National Security Act overseas when British military bases are allegedly targeted by hostile state activity.

“A huge amount of partnership work has been carried out between British and Cypriot law enforcement agencies.

“We continue to work with colleagues from the CPS, National Crime Agency and Cypriot authorities as extradition proceedings progress.”