Alleged member of Iran’s IRGC arrested in Cyprus over plot to attack military bases
Report says Azerbaijani national detained after security services received intel from ‘cooperating foreign service’; suspect seen taking photos at British, Cypriot bases on island
An alleged member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of planning a terror attack, Cypriot media reported Saturday.
The individual appeared before a district court, which ordered an eight-day detention pending inquiries.
No further details would be issued, police said, citing national security.
According to Phile News, the Azerbaijani national was arrested on Friday after security services received “highly classified and reliable intelligence from a cooperating foreign service.” The foreign intelligence identified the man as an IRGC operative, the report said.
The outlet said the suspect had been collecting intelligence since April about the presence of foreign military forces in Cyprus.
The report said the suspect lived in an apartment in Limassol, near British military bases and had been seen on an almost daily basis near the British military facilities in nearby Akrotiri while carrying a large camera with a telephoto lens, as well as three cellphones.
The report said the man seemed to be taking photos and writing notes.
RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus is Britain’s largest air force base in the region and currently houses several Typhoon jets as part of the UK’s bolstering of forces in the region amid the conflict between Israel and Iran.
In addition, Phile News said, the suspect traveled by bus from Limassol to Paphos, where he took photos near the Cypriot military’s Andreas Papandreou air base.
The suspect will face charges of terrorism, espionage, conspiracy to commit a felony, and a number of other offenses, Phile News reported.
Following the arrest, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused the IRGC of plotting to attack Israelis in Cyprus.
“Thanks to the activity of the Cypriot security authorities, in cooperation with Israeli security services, the terror attack was thwarted. Israel thanks Cyprus for its swift and effective actions,” Sa’ar wrote in a post on X.
He also accused Iran’s “criminal regime” of “deliberately targeting Israeli civilians both in Israel and abroad.”
“Israel will continue to act to remove the existential threat posed by the Iranian terror regime,” Sa’ar added.
In addition to housing sensitive military facilities, Cyprus has become a hub for Israelis stranded while airspace is closed amid the fighting between Israel and Iran.
Cyprus has seen a number of attempted attacks by Iran in recent years.
In 2023, an IRGC terror plot to target Israeli businesspeople in Cyprus was foiled. The Mossad said the Iranian suspect was given weapons for the attack from senior officials in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and instructions on its implementation. The spy agency said the plan was to target Israeli businessmen in the small island nation.
In October 2021, Israel said that an Iranian plot against Israeli businesspeople in Cyprus had been foiled. According to reports, the hired hitman was of Azerbaijani origin.
Agencies contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.