Police in Cyprus have arrested a man who allegedly had an RAF base on the island ‘under surveillance’ on suspicion of terror-related offences and espionage, authorities said on Saturday.
The individual appeared before a district court this morning amid rising tensions in the Israel-Iran war.
The court ordered an eight-day detention pending inquiries.
No further details would be issued, police said, citing national security reasons.
Several Cypriot news outlets reported the suspect was a man of Azeri ethnic descent and had been arrested in the Zakaki suburb of the coastal city of Limassol.
The suspect was thought to have had a British RAF military base in nearby Akrotiri under surveillance, as well as Cyprus’s own Andreas Papandreou Air Base in the western region of Paphos since mid-April, Cyprus’s ANT1 news portal reported.
Cyprus lies very close to the Middle East and has in recent days been used as a transit point for people either leaving or going to the region amid a conflict between regional foes Israel and Iran, that broke out on June 13.
Terror-related offences on the island are very rare.
The Typhoon fleet at the UK’s RAF Akrotiri on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, just over 250 miles from Israel, has been bolstered in recent days. Pictured: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks to soldiers at RAF Akrotiri in December last year
Defence Secretary John Healey visits RAF Akrotiri in October amid conflict between Israel and Lebanon
Among British planes stationed at the RAF base are Typhoon FRG4s, which have been used in recent months to carry out strikes against the Houthis
84 Squadron is based at the British RAF base in Akrotiri, with extra British Typhoon planes being sent to the island in recent weeks as tensions ratchet up across the Middle East.
The Typhoon fleet at the UK’s RAF Akrotiri on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, just over 250 miles from Israel, has been bolstered in recent days.
Senior officers have this week been considering whether the base and the surrounding airspace require additional protection, particularly if the conflict continues to escalate.
In that scenario, military sources suggested troops from Royal Artillery units specialising in air defence would be readied for deployment.
16 Regiment (RA), which includes radar, surveillance and guided weapons specialists, is among those being considered, the Mail understands.
The regiment, which is part of the UK’s 7 Air Defence Group, is equipped with LEAPP surveillance technology which identifies all friendly and hostile aircraft over a range of 75 miles.
It also has ‘Giraffe’ 360-degree radars which have ‘vision’ over the same range.
Any incoming Iranian or Hezbollah ordnance could be eliminated using Sky Sabre, a surface-to-air defensive weapon system.
Sky Sabre can fire up to 24 missiles simultaneously, effective against ballistic missiles and drones.
Today’s arrest comes just a day after a separate breach in security at an RAF base in the UK.
Palestine Action said two of its activists infiltrated Britain’s largest RAF base and sprayed red paint into the engines of two Airbus Voyager aircraft before escaping without being caught.
Shocking footage shared by the group yesterday morning shows protesters storming across the RAF runway in Oxfordshire on electric scooters.
The bodycam footage then shows them spraying red paint into the turbine engines of the air-to-air refuelling tankers which the RAF say are ‘vital for enhancing the operational reach and flexibility of Britain’s military air power’.
Palestine Action claims to have used repurposed fire extinguishers to spray the paint, while they say they caused further damage with crowbars.
The activists said they sprayed red paint across the runway and left a Palestine flag behind before fleeing the base undetected.
The incident is also being investigated by counter terror police.
In response, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is said to be considering banning the organisation under counter-terror legislation, which would make membership illegal.
This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
