A British national, Rashad Sultanov, 44, has been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of conducting hostile surveillance on the UK military base RAF Akrotiri on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Sultanov, who also holds Azerbaijani citizenship, was apprehended by Cypriot police on July 17 and is currently in custody awaiting extradition proceedings.
The Crown Prosecution Service stated that Sultanov will be charged under the National Security Act. This marks the first instance of an alleged offense under the 2023 law being investigated in an overseas territory.
Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London led the investigation, which focused on alleged spying activities between May 11 and June 22, 2025. Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, highlighted the effectiveness of the National Security Act in overseas cases involving British military bases targeted by state-sponsored activities. She also emphasized the significant collaboration between British and Cypriot law enforcement agencies, including the Crown Prosecution Service, the National Crime Agency, and Cypriot authorities, as extradition proceedings continue.
RAF Akrotiri, a permanent UK base since the 1950s, has recently been used for operations, including launching missions to intercept Iranian missiles and drones.