British-Azerbaijani national arrested for allegedly spying on airbase in Cyprus for Iran's IRGC

British-Azerbaijani national Rashad Sultanov, 44, was arrested on July 17 by Cypriot authorities on suspicion of spying on RAF Akrotiri and passing information to Iran's IRGC. The Metropolitan Police announced the arrest on Friday, part of Britain's first overseas National Security Act investigation. Sultanov is held in custody as extradition proceedings progress.

British-Azerbaijani national Rashad Sultanov, 44, from Islington in north London, was arrested on July 17 by Cypriot authorities on suspicion of spying on the British RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus and passing information to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Metropolitan Police announced the arrest on Friday, July 31, 2026, stating that Sultanov is being held in custody as extradition proceedings progress. The arrest is part of Britain's first overseas National Security Act investigation, led by counter-terrorism police, into incidents at RAF Akrotiri between May 11 and June 22 last year. Sultanov allegedly conducted hostile surveillance on the base and shared information with the IRGC. Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing in London, said the case shows the UK can use the National Security Act overseas when British military bases are allegedly targeted by hostile state activity. The IRGC had threatened earlier this month to attack any British military bases used by US forces to launch attacks on Iran. An Iranian-type Shahed drone caused slight damage at Akrotiri on March 2, and Iran was reported to have fired two ballistic missiles at a US-UK base on Diego Garcia in March, though neither hit. Akrotiri is one of two bases Britain has retained since independence in 1960.