British man arrested in Cyprus after RAF base targeted in 'Iran spy plot'
21 June 2025, 12:57 | Updated: 21 June 2025, 23:33
A British man has been arrested on suspicion of espionage and terrorism offences in Cyprus.
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The man is reported to have kept the RAF Akrotiri base on the island under surveillance and is alleged to have links with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, local media reported.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in contact with the authorities in Cyprus regarding the arrest of a British man."
RAF Akrotiri is the UK's most important airbase for operations in the Middle East.
The Philenews website said the man was arrested on Friday following intelligence he was planning an imminent terrorist attack.
He is alleged to have lived in a flat in Zakaki, Limassol, close to Akrotiri and was observed near the base carrying a camera with a long lens and three mobile phones.
Local reports suggested he was Azerbaijani but the UK Foreign Office said they were working with the authorities over the arrest of a Briton.
RAF Typhoon jets from Akrotiri were used to defend Israel from Iranian drone and missile attacks last year, although they have not been involved in the current fighting between the two Middle East rivals.
The base is also used for flights as part of Operation Shader to counter Islamic State militants.
In a sign of some of the more sensitive activity at the base, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited Akrotiri in December last year and said "quite a bit of what goes on here can't necessarily be talked about all of the time".
Security at RAF bases is under scrutiny after Palestine Action protesters entered the Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire and vandalised two aircraft.
RAF Brize Norton serves as the hub for UK strategic air transport and refuelling, including flights to RAF Akrotiri.
Cyprus has reportedly hosted thousands of evacuees from Israel since the fighting first broke out.
Many arrived via Israeli cruise ship Crown Iris, which made the 270 kilometers (167 miles) to Israel earlier this week.
The ship docked in the port city of Limassol on Wednesday morning after dropping off hundreds of Jewish emigrees from the US who had been evacuated from Israel.
Cyprus has become a key transit point for the repatriation of third-country nationals fleeing conflict zones in the Middle East.
Many Israelis and others seeking return home in the absence of direct flights there have also been stranded in the country.
Donald Trump has announced he would delay a decision on joining Israeli strikes against Iran for up to two weeks.
Iran and Israel have exchanged fresh attacks on Saturday morning, with Israel claiming a veteran Iranian commander has been killed.
At least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since the first strikes were launched on 13 June, according to Iran's health ministry.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tel Aviv’s military operation would continue “for as long as it takes”.
