Foreign Relations

Britain Seeks Extradition of Suspect Accused of Spying for Iran at RAF Base

Published

Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of a military transport aircraft descending toward RAF Akrotiri behind a razor-wire security fence.

British counterterrorism police said prosecutors authorized National Security Act charges against 44-year-old Rashad Sultanov, a British-Azerbaijani man arrested in Cyprus on July 17. Authorities allege he conducted hostile surveillance of RAF Akrotiri between May 11 and June 22, 2025, then shared the information with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Britain is seeking his extradition, with the investigation involving British and Cypriot authorities. Police described it as the first National Security Act investigation concerning alleged offenses at a British overseas military base, a key hub for Middle East operations.

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