British man arrested in Cyprus suspected of spying and terror offences

A British man has been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of spying and terror-related offences.The BBC understands he is thought to have carried out surveillance for Iran on the RAF Akrotiri base on the island.Local media say he is of Azerbaijani descent and has connections to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.He appeared in a district court earlier on Saturday and was detained for a further eight days. The Foreign Office said it was in contact with Cypriot authorities.Although it is not in the Middle East, RAF Akrotiri is the UK's most significant in the region and has previously been used to help defend Israeli skies from attack by Iran.
Last week, it was announced that further planes would be sent there to protect existing UK assets.In a statement, the UK Foreign Office said: "We are in contact [with] the authorities in Cyprus regarding the arrest of a British man." The statement was provided to the BBC following a question regarding reports in Cypriot media about the counter-terror arrest.Police on the island said a man had been arrested on suspicion of terror-related offences and espionage. They said they would not say more for reasons of national security.Cyprus's ANT1 news outlet said the suspect was thought to have had RAF Akrotiri under surveillance, as well as Cyprus's own Andreas Papandreou Air Base in the western region of Paphos since mid-April.RAF Akrotiri is home to fast jets, reconnaissance, transport and refuelling aircraft.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Independent

an hour ago

• The Independent

Brit arrested in Cyprus accused of spying

A British man has been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of espionage and terrorism offences. He is alleged to have been monitoring the RAF Akrotiri base and is suspected of having links with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Intelligence suggested the man was planning an imminent terrorist attack, leading to his arrest on Friday. The man was reportedly observed near RAF Akrotiri, a critical UK airbase for Middle East operations, carrying a camera with a long lens and multiple mobile phones. The UK Foreign Office is in contact with Cypriot authorities regarding the arrest of the British national.

BBC News

an hour ago

• BBC News

Palestine Action member tells BBC plan to ban group 'absurd'

A Palestine Action member has told the BBC it is "absurd" the government plans to proscribe the group, which would effectively brand it as a terrorist Taji Farouky said it "rips apart the very basic concepts of British democracy and the rule of law", adding: "It's something everyone should be terrified about."The BBC understands the home secretary is preparing a written statement to put before Parliament on comes after Palestine Action activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and sprayed two planes with red paint, an incident branded "disgraceful" by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Mr Farouky told the BBC he has a conviction for criminal damage related to a different Palestine Action described the potential move from the government as a "knee-jerk reaction" and said it was "being rushed through".When asked if the group should have been surprised by the move to proscribe it, given its actions, Mr Farouky said the government had tried to reclassify Palestine Action for years and it had "never been a tactic that scared" on whether the group had crossed a line by targeting a military site with a role in protecting the UK's national security, Mr Farouky responded by outlining the group's said Palestine Action's "whole reason for being is to break the material supply chain to genocide" and said Friday's incident was an "escalation in tactics because the genocide has escalated".Israel has strongly denied allegations of genocide relating to the ongoing war in Brize Norton serves as the hub for UK strategic air transport and refuelling, including flights to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. The air force has conducted reconnaissance flights over Gaza out of the Cyprus base. Footage posted online by Palestine Action on Friday showed two people inside the Oxfordshire airbase in darkness, with one riding on a scooter up to an Airbus Voyager and spraying paint into its jet sharing the footage, a spokesperson said: "Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US and Israeli fighter jets."The incident, which is being investigated by counter-terrorism police, prompted the government to launch a security review at military bases across the Friday, a spokesperson for Palestine Action said: "When our government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action."In a separate post on X, it said the group represented "every individual" who is opposed to Israel's military action in Gaza, adding: "If they want to ban us, they ban us all".Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the incident at RAF Brize Norton "disgraceful" on Friday, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said it was "deeply concerning".However, Amnesty International UK said on Friday that it was "deeply concerned at the use of counter terrorism powers to target protests"."Terrorism powers should never have been used to aggravate criminal charges against Palestine Action activists and they certainly shouldn't be used to ban them," the organisation added on social media. Palestine Action has engaged in activities that have predominantly targeted arms companies since the start of the current war in Gaza, with the group claiming responsibility in May for the daubing of a US military plane in UK's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Saturday it had "gone beyond protest to blackmail"."It's got to a point where they've started to say: 'We will carry on causing hundreds of millions of pounds worth of damage unless you stop'," Jonathan Hall KC Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the move to ban the group was "absolutely the correct decision"."We must have zero tolerance for terrorism," she wrote in a post on home secretary has the power under UK law to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000 if they believe it is "concerned with terrorism".To enact the move, new legislation will be needed, which must be debated and approved by both MPs and are currently 81 groups proscribed as terrorist organisations in the UK under the Terrorism reporting by Hollie Cole.

Scottish Sun

2 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Tensions in Middle East ramp up as B-2 stealth bombers leave US for possible strike on Iranian targets

British and US warjets have previously helped shoot down Iranian missiles fired at Israel BOMBER THREAT Tensions in Middle East ramp up as B-2 stealth bombers leave US for possible strike on Iranian targets TENSIONS in the Middle East ramped up further yesterday as B-2 stealth bombers left the US for a possible strike on Iran. US president Donald Trump is believed to have signed off on a hit on the rogue state's underground atomic plant at Fordow. Advertisement 4 Middle East tensions rise as B-2 stealth bombers left the US for a possible strike on Iran Credit: Alamy 4 Missiles fired from Iran in retaliation for Israeli attacks Credit: Getty It came after a British national suspected of spying for Iran was arrested near an RAF base on Cyprus. Trump, who said on Thursday he would decide whether to join the offensive 'within two weeks', yesterday gave Israel free rein to continue attacking its enemy Iran. Meanwhile, B-2 bombers took off from the US and were thought to be heading to the Andersen Air Force Base on the Pacific island of Guam. The powerful B-2 Spirit is the only aircraft capable of delivering the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs needed to smash Iran's atomic site at Fordow, south of Tehran. Advertisement READ MORE ON IRAN IRON WILL Israel will keep bombing Iran even without Trump, says Netanyahu's ex-advisor Waves of attacks would be needed to destroy the plant, which is encased in steel under a mountain. Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is also said to be sheltering in a bunker as Israel targets military leaders and nuclear facilities in his country. US officials last night said no orders had yet been given to move the B-2s beyond Guam. But it ramped up more pressure on Khamenei to cut a deal — with Trump demanding Iran scrap its nuclear and ballistic missile plans. Advertisement Meanwhile, a suspected spy linked to Iran was arrested amid fears he was spearheading a massive attack on UK forces in Cyprus. Sources said he was posing as a British tourist when he was detained near the RAF's Akrotiri base with a large camera with telephoto lenses. US deploys bunker-buster bomb carrying B-2 planes to new military base as Iran tensions grow He was also found to have three mobile phones when armed officers swooped on Friday. Police sources confirmed yesterday he was being held on suspicion of terror-related offences and espionage. Advertisement He is suspected to have links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Police swooped on him in the Zakaki suburb of Limassol. He has been in the country since April and is feared to have been mapping troops and jets. The Foreign Office confirmed he was a British national who is understood to be of Azerbaijani descent. Advertisement 4 The apparent remains of a ballistic missile lying on the ground in northern Israel Credit: Reuters Akrotiri — where hundreds of British pilots, troops and back-up staff are based — is just 200 miles from Israel and well within range of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal. Britain and the US have been warned by Khamenei that their bases will be hit if their forces join Israel. The suspect appeared before the Limassol District Court on Friday and was remanded in custody for eight days pending inquiries. Advertisement Cypriot sources said he was understood to have had the sprawling UK airbase 'under surveillance' and also watched Cyprus's own Andreas Papandreou Air Base in Paphos. Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar yesterday also claimed Iran tried to carry out an attack on Israeli citizens in Cyprus. Extra £3k in Persian MI5 jobs By Dominik Lemanski SPYMASTERS are offering £3,000 bonuses to recruit Persian speakers to tackle Iranian terror. Persian Language Specialists at MI5 and MI6 will support investigations to block Tehran-backed assassins and kidnappers. Recruits will be paid up to £44,818 with £3,000 a year extra on qualification. An advert, which is also hiring for GCHQ, reads: 'We're looking for Persian linguists for a role that goes well beyond translation and transcription. 'You will be a significant asset in helping to safeguard the UK.' In April last year, Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati, 37, was stabbed in South West London, in an attack believed to have been ordered by Tehran. It was not known if it was linked to the Brit's arrest. Cyprus has become a transit point for stranded travellers since Israeli airspace was shut at the start of Operation Rising Lion nine days ago. Advertisement Britain has upped the number of RAF Typhoons at Akrotiri and sent extra Voyager air-to-air refuellers. British and US warjets have previously helped shoot down Iranian missiles fired at Israel. But Sir Keir Starmer's government has so far kept the RAF out of the war amid fears of further escalation. Meanwhile, Israel continued to hammer Iran with air attacks on military and atomic sites — as well as top brass and nuclear scientists. Advertisement Israel Defence Forces' biggest scalp yesterday was terror kingpin Saeed Izadi — the financial mastermind of the October 7 attacks which detonated the Middle East crisis. Izadi, head of the Palestinian Division of Iran's Quds Force, was killed in a strike on a 'safe house' in the Iranian city of Qom. The Israeli military's Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir said: 'Izadi was one of the key figures involved in planning and executing the October 7 massacre. The blood of thousands of Israelis is on his hands.' 4 Israel's biggest scalp yesterday was terror kingpin Saeed Izadi Credit: @IDF Advertisement The Israeli military later said it killed another commander of the Guards' overseas arm, Benham Shariyari, in western Tehran. He was said to be 'responsible for weapons transfers from the Iranian regime to its proxies across the Middle East'. An 11th nuclear scientist was also assassinated at a safe house located by Israeli intelligence. Iran's foreign minister said he will not negotiate while attacks continued. Advertisement But Trump hit back: 'It's very hard to make that request right now. Israel is doing well, in terms of war, and…Iran is doing less well.' But he added: 'We're ready, willing and able and we've been speaking to Iran.' Iran fired more missiles at Israel overnight which were intercepted amid reports of minimal damage.