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.
RAF Akrotiri is the UK's most significant base 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kneecap performing at Glastonbury 'not appropriate', PM says
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not think Kneecap's planned Glastonbury Festival performance is "appropriate". He made the comments after Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh appeared in court charged with a terror offence, relating to allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a gig in November last year. In an interview with The Sun, Sir Keir was asked if he thought the trio should perform at Glastonbury, to which he replied: "No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this. "This is about the threats that shouldn't be made, I won't say too much because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate." Mr Ó hAnnaidh, charged under the name Liam O'Hanna, was released on unconditional bail after Wednesday's hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court. The prime minister's comments came after Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she thought the BBC "should not be showing" Kneecap's performance at the festival next week. Badenoch said in an X post, which was accompanied by an article from The Times that claimed the BBC had not banned the group: "The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda. "One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act. "As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism." Responding to the Tory leader's comments, a BBC spokesperson said as the festival's broadcast partner, it "will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers". They added: "Whilst the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. "Decisions about our output will be made in the lead-up to the festival." Badenoch has previously called for the group to be banned from Glastonbury, and last year Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK government in Belfast High Court after she tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister. Kneecap took aim at Badenoch in their latest single, The Recap, released just before their headline set at London's Wide Awake festival in May, with the song mocking the politician's attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party's election loss. On Wednesday, Mr Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in "Free Mo Chara" T-shirts. The 27-year-old will appear at the same court for his next hearing on 20 August. Following the hearing, the rapper said: "For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there at 4pm on the Saturday. "If you can't be there we'll be on the BBC, if anybody watches the BBC. We'll be at Wembley in September. "But most importantly: free, free Palestine." In a statement, posted on social media in May after Mr Ó hAnnaidh was charged, Kneecap said: "We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves." The charge came following a counter-terrorism police investigation after the historical gig footage came to light. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are banned in the UK and it is a crime to express support for them. Kneecap say they have never supported Hamas or Hezbollah and would not incite violence against any individual. Analysis from Charlotte Gallagher, BBC News correspondent Will Kneecap care that the Prime Minister doesn't think they should perform at Glastonbury? Probably not. If anything, it will likely increase the trio's profile. They're selling out venues, getting millions of streams and being talked about by people across the world. Calls by politicians and some celebrities to get Kneecap removed from line ups seem to have made them more famous or infamous - depending on your viewpoint. There were hundreds of people outside Westminster Magistrates' Court supporting Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh aka Mo Chara earlier this week. Many felt Kneecap were representing their views while politicians were not listening to them. Mo Chara is back in court in August - expect similar crowds. Kneecap are an Irish-speaking rap trio who have courted controversy with their provocative lyrics and merchandise. The group was formed in 2017 by three friends who go by the stage names of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí. Their rise to fame inspired a semi-fictionalised film starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender. The film won a British Academy of Film Award (Bafta) in February 2025. Kneecap rapper bailed over terror charge Kneecap member charged with terror offence Counter-terrorism police investigating Kneecap videos Kneecap 'kill MP' footage being assessed by police
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Giannoulias cracks down on plate reader abuse
Following reports that Texas police illegally accessed Illinois automatic license plate reader data to track down a woman for an abortion care-related matter, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced new measures aimed at preventing further abuse. In May, law enforcement authorities in Texas performed a nationwide search of more than 83,000 ALPR cameras to locate a woman they said had a self-administered abortion. Included in the search were cameras located in states where abortion is legal – including Illinois, specifically Mount Prospect in suburban Cook County. In 2023, Giannoulias spearheaded first-in-the-nation legislation making it illegal for law enforcement in other states to use ALPR cameras to track or penalize individuals seeking abortion care or criminalize a person's immigration status. 'License plate readers can serve as an important tool for law enforcement, but these cameras must be regulated so they aren't abused for surveillance, tracking the data of innocent people or criminalizing lawful behavior,' Giannoulias said. 'No one seeking legal healthcare services in Illinois should face harassment or jail – period.' 'At Personal PAC, we work hard with our partners in government, like Secretary Giannoulias, to pass laws that protect abortion in Illinois,' said Sarah Garza Resnick, CEO of Personal PAC. 'Patients rely on Illinois for abortion access that they need, and it is on us to ensure that their right to receive that care is protected in our state. We applaud Secretary Giannoulias for taking swift action in looking into the alleged violations of the ALPR data act.' 'Illinois has taken major steps that protect immigrant rights and reproductive rights, but these policies are only effective if the law is followed,' said Lawrence Benito, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant Rights. 'We thank the Secretary of State for shutting off access to out-of-state authorities and protecting all people coming through our state.' In response to this breach, the Secretary of State's office instructed Flock Safety, which operates the ALPR network in question, to immediately shut off access for the out-of-state authorities illegally using the system. The office has also contacted the Illinois Attorney General's office to investigate the matter and is establishing an audit system with additional safeguards to ensure any law enforcement entity using an ALPR in Illinois is adhering to the law. Under the act, which took effect in 2024, law enforcement agencies must attest that ALPR data will not be used to prosecute or enforce another state's laws pertaining to abortion care or immigration status. If a law enforcement agency violates this agreement, they jeopardize their access to Illinois ALPR data and eligibility for federal and state grants. In the recent case, Mount Prospect's ALPR settings provided a gateway into Illinois' system operated by Flock for an unauthorized use, despite the Texas police stating that the reason for the search was related to abortion care. Any law enforcement entity operating the ALPR must adhere to the declaration in the law and deny such requests, according to the act. Between January 14 and April 30, there were 262 searches for immigration related matters in Mount Prospect, alone. The law still allows police to use ALPR technology for investigating felonies, carjackings, vehicle thefts and missing person alerts, but it protects a person's right to abortion access and prevents attempts to criminalize a person's immigration status. Operated by private companies, ALPRs are used in every state by most metropolitan police departments to scan license plates and provide the time and location of vehicles in real time. ALPR technology allows police to read thousands of license plates per minute from cameras placed on roadways, streetlights and squad cars.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
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. RAF Akrotiri is the UK's most significant base 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.
