'IRGC agent' arrested in Cyprus for alleged surveillance of UK base

An alleged spy for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been arrested on suspicion of conducting hostile surveillance of a UK base in Cyprus. Rashad Sultanov, 44, a dual UK and <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/azerbaijan/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/azerbaijan/">Azerbaijani</a> national, was <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/crime/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/crime/">arrested</a> on July 17 by<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/cyprus/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/cyprus/"> Cypriot</a> authorities and is facing extradition proceedings. He has appeared in <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/courts/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/courts/">court</a> and denied the allegations. Mr Sultanov, from Islington in north London, is being held as part of an investigation by Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism officers into incidents at RAF Akrotiri between May 11 and June 22 last year. Akrotiri is the UK's <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/03/02/britain-steps-up-military-support-for-gulf-region/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/03/02/britain-steps-up-military-support-for-gulf-region/">main base for operations</a> in the Middle East. It has been used to provide support to Israel and for launching air strikes against <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/iran/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/iran/">Iran</a>-backed <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/houthis/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/houthis/">Houthi</a> rebels in Yemen. The base, which is UK sovereign territory, was <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uk/2026/03/25/future-operating-conditions-of-uk-airbases-in-cyprus-raised-by-leaders/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uk/2026/03/25/future-operating-conditions-of-uk-airbases-in-cyprus-raised-by-leaders/">attacked</a> by an Iranian-made drone in March, early in the US-Israeli war with Iran. The arrest of Mr Sultanov is the first using the National Security Act in relation to alleged offences in an overseas territory. He allegedly conducted hostile surveillance of the base, which is a prohibited area, and is alleged to have then shared information with the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/irgc/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/irgc/">IRGC</a>, a foreign intelligence service, said the Met Police. Mr Sultanov was initially arrested by Cypriot police in June 2025 and has been held in Nicosia prison on the island, but charges were suspended earlier this month after the Crown Prosecution Service sought to have him extradited to the UK. Cdr Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing in London, said officers were working with colleagues from the CPS, the National Crime Agency and Cypriot authorities as extradition proceedings progress. "This case shows we are able to use the National Security Act overseas when British military bases are allegedly targeted by hostile state activity,” she said. "A huge amount of partnership work has been carried out between British and Cypriot law enforcement agencies." Mr Sultanov worked as a taxi driver in Leicester before he moved to <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/london/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/london/">London</a>, the <i>Telegraph</i> reported. He is the owner and director of a pomegranate juice importer called Yasamal, which is based in Leicester. The company owes £41,000 and has net assets of £1,500, official records show. Before his arrest, he is alleged to have been photographing at the base with long-lens cameras as well as with phones and to have written extensive notes. Investigators claim he encrypted files containing these photographs and sent them to a handler believed to be connected to the IRGC. Mr Sultanov is fighting the extradition and his lawyer has secured an adjournment until he is provided with a British lawyer funded by UK legal aid, which is his right to this under the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement. The judge has ordered prosecutors acting on behalf of British authorities to arrange for Mr Sultanov to have a UK lawyer before a hearing next week. Akrotiri, the UK’s largest military installation outside Britain, is home to Eurofighter Typhoons and F-35 fighter planes, as well as reconnaissance, transport and refuelling aircraft. In recent years, it has also been used by British warplanes on missions against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.