Man arrested on suspicion of spying in Crete - home to NATO military base
A man has been arrested on suspicion of spying in Crete, which is home to a NATO military base.
Greek police said the 26-year-old Azerbaijani man was detained on Sunday, based on information from the country's intelligence service.
He had been staying in a hotel since 18 June near the naval and air force base in western Crete - a strategic facility for Greece, the US and the NATO military alliance in the eastern Mediterranean.
More than 5,000 photographs and encryption software were found on a laptop that was confiscated, along with other digital equipment, from the hotel room, sources told the Reuters news agency.
Authorities are investigating whether he was monitoring the base in Souda and if the case is linked with the arrest of a British man in Cyprus on Friday on suspicion of espionage and terror offences, the sources said.
The man arrested in Cyprus is reported to have kept RAF Akrotiri - the UK's most important airbase for operations in the Middle East - on the island under surveillance.
Read more from Sky News:
A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed the arrest of a Briton, although local media reports suggested he was Azerbaijani with alleged links with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The man arrested in Crete, who has a Polish passport according to local media reports, is expected to appear before a prosecutor this week.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Met Police bans pro-Palestinian demonstration in front of Parliament
June 23 (UPI) -- Britain's Met police banned a pro-Palestinian protest in front of the Houses of Parliament in central London scheduled to take place on Monday to "prevent serious public order," property damage and disruption to elected representatives. Met Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a statement Sunday that while he could not stop the demonstration going ahead, he was using powers under public order legislation to impose an exclusion zone preventing protestors from assembling in a roughly 0.5 square mile area around the Palace of Westminster and restrict the duration to between noon and 3 p.m. local time. The We Are All Palestine protest was being organized by Palestine Action but backed by around 35 other groups, including the Stop the War Coalition, Cage and Muslim Engagement and Development. Calling Palestine Action "an extremist criminal group" with members awaiting trial on serious charges, Rowley said he was frustrated that he lacked legal authority to ban the protest outright. "The right to protest is essential and we will always defend it, but actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest," he said. Rowley added that criminal charges faced by Palestine Action members, including allegedly attacking a police officer with a sledgehammer and causing millions of dollars of damage, represented extremism of a type that the vast majority of the public found abhorrent. Palestinian Action responded by moving the protest, telling supporters in a post on X early Monday that it would now go ahead in Trafalgar Square, which is just outside the northern edge of the exclusion zone. "The Metropolitan police are trying to deter support from Palestine Action by banning the protest from taking place at the Houses of Parliament. Don't let them win! Make sure everyone is aware of the location change to Trafalgar Square, London. Mobilize from 12 p.m." The move came as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper updated lawmakers on plans to proscribe Palestinian Action as a terrorist organization after members of the group claimed responsibility for damaging military aircraft Friday after breaking into an RAF base northwest of London. They also allegedly damaged the offices of an insurance company, which the group claimed provided services to Elbit Systems, an Israel-based military technology company and defense contractor. Activist Saeed Taji Farouky called the move to proscribe the group a ludicrous move that "rips apart the very basic concepts of British democracy and the rule of law." "It's something everyone should be terrified about," he told the BBC. Cooper said in a written statement to the House that she expected to bring a draft order amending the country's anti-terror legislation before Parliament next week. Proscribing Palestine Action would make membership or promotion of the group punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Palestinian Action, escalated from targeting arms producers to vandalizing the two Airbus refuelling tanker aircraft because Britain was, it claimed, deploying aircraft to its Akrotiri airbase on Cyprus from where it can "collect intelligence, refuel fighter jets and transport weapons to commit genocide in Gaza." The attack at RAF Brize Norton, the British military's main hub for strategic air transport and refuelling, including flights to RAF Akrotiri, came the same day a British man appeared in a closed court in Cyprus on charges of planning an "imminent terrorist attack" on the island and espionage. The suspect was arrested by Greek anti-terror officers on a tip-off from a foreign intelligence service claiming he'd had the RAF Akrotiri base under surveillance since April and had links with the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He faces charges of terrorism, espionage, conspiracy to commit a felony and other related offences. RAF Akrotiri is the U.K. military's largest base for the Middle East region and a key waypoint en route to its giant Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands, 3,800 miles to the southeast in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Family of chef who died on Mike Lynch's yacht say ‘lessons need to be learned'
A lawyer for the family of a chef killed when Mike Lynch's superyacht sank off Italy said 'lessons need to be learned' as they await findings from investigators after the vessel was moved on land. Seven people died when the Bayesian sank off Porticello in Sicily on August 19, including billionaire Mr Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18. On Monday the 56-metre (184ft) boat was placed in a manufactured steel cradle in Termini Imerese, a town where British and Italian investigators will carry out a full probe into the sinking. A source close to the salvage team said: 'Everyone is glad to have reached the conclusion of this major part of the project.' The family of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, 59, a chef who died on the vessel, said they now await the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB)'s analysis of the yacht. James Healy-Pratt, a partner at Keystone Law, on behalf of the Thomas Family, said: 'Lessons need to be learned from this tragedy, as well as establishing the truth of what happened and bringing those responsible to justice.' Italian prosecutors have said raising and examining the yacht will provide key information for its investigation into the sinking. Simon Graves, an MAIB investigator, previously told the PA news agency: 'When the wreck is brought ashore, we'll be completing a full examination of the wreck and we'll be finding out all of the elements that might have contributed to the safety of the vessel.' Further details such as 'escape routes' will be included in its final report on the sinking, according to Mr Graves, who added: 'Once we get access to the vessel we'll be able to tell a fuller picture of activities on board and the sequence of events.' Meanwhile, salvage workers are conducting a 'full sweep' of the seabed near Porticello for any potential debris, a project insider said. Balloon-like kit will be used to lift the Bayesian's mast this week. The 72-metre (236ft) mast was cut off using a remote-controlled tool and rested on the seabed. About 70 specialist personnel had been mobilised to Porticello from across Europe to work on the recovery operation. Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter Hannah as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, who were all British nationals. The others who died in the sinking were US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo. Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued.
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Tourist Loses Wallet on Vacation—One Month Later Receives Anonymous Letter
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. An anonymous letter than was sent to a 28-year-old from the United States who lost their wallet on a vacation in London, England, has melted the hearts of viewers online. The vacationer, who told Newsweek that they are from Chicago, Illinois, had been traveling through London in May when they lost their wallet "somewhere" along their trip. The poster, who goes by u/badvices7 on the platform, told viewers on June 16 that they had received a kind letter in the mail from a person who had found the missing wallet. Viewers were able to see a picture of the letter, with the text reading: "Hi, hope this finds you well. I picked up a green cardholder containing some credit cards and your ID along The Mall, London, near Buckingham Palace / Piccadilly Circus on the afternoon of Monday 13th May. There was no cash in the cardholder. "I tried to look up for your details and to contact a next of kin, but couldn't get through to a number at the address on the ID. I then rang American Express in the U.S. to advise that you have lost your cards, which were then blocked." The person who had found the cardholder added that they had asked American Express to notify the vacationer of their update. They had also told the bank they would be sending the items to the vacationer's Illinois address. The letter that the vacationer from Illinois received in the mail is seen. The letter that the vacationer from Illinois received in the mail is seen. u/badvices7 The letter had been signed "TWC." "Was visiting London, England, from the U.S. last month and lost my wallet somewhere; I blame it on the small pockets in my shorts," the vacationer had said. "Thankfully, this wasn't too much of a hassle during vacation with Apple wallet nowadays, but it was still unfortunate. "Lo and behold I see a package in my apartment's package room, someone found my wallet [and] shipped it back … It's been quite a year so this was really such a thoughtful gesture and seriously made my month." The vacationer added that, while they have not been able to figure out who had helped them, with there being no return address on the parcel, they would love for viewers to help them find a way to pay them back for the shipping. "If anyone has any ideas (or if this is you!), please let me know! Can't wait to visit your city again and this time not lose my wallet," the vacationer said. To date, the post has been upvoted more than 7,600 times, drawing in comments from viewers who were pleasantly surprised by the kind gesture. "S/he probably didn't give you their details so that you would not feel obliged to do something for them," one viewer posted. "TWC is probably their initials." "What a wonderful human being this TWC is," another added. "This is so British," a third commented. "Love it and this made me smile." One comment reads: "Nice of them." Do you have any funny or adorable videos or pictures that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them to life@ and they could appear on our site.
