NICOSIA: Cyprus police said they arrested an individual on espionage and terror charges on Saturday, with local media reporting the suspect had ties to Iran.
Police declined to provide extensive details, citing “national security,” but local media said the suspect was seen acting suspiciously near a British air force base at Akrotiri, outside the southern coastal city of Limassol.
Cypriot news outlet Philenews reported the man had links to “Iranian operatives” and had arrived on the Mediterranean island last month posing as a British tourist.
It said the arrest in Limassol on Saturday was based on information from a foreign intelligence service.
“Following a coordinated operation today, an individual suspected of involvement in terrorism-related offenses was arrested,” said a brief police announcement.
The suspect appeared before a district court and was issued an eight-day remand order for “offenses related, among others, to terrorism and espionage,” the police statement added.
Philenews said high-resolution cameras, telephoto lenses, notes, computers and three mobile phones were discovered at the suspect’s apartment.
It described the suspect as being of Azeri descent, referring to an ethnic group present in Azerbaijan and northwest Iran.
The outlet also reported that two people believed to be linked to the case were arrested in Britain.
The British foreign and defense ministries did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Thanks to its location in the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus has become a key transit hub for third-country nationals fleeing the region since the recent outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Iran.
It has also become a staging post for Israelis seeking to return home by air or sea after being stranded abroad by the start of the fighting.
