Cyprus arrests British man on suspicion of terror-related plot, police say
NICOSIA - Police in Cyprus have arrested a British man on suspicion of terror-related offences and espionage, authorities said on Saturday.
The man appeared before a district court on Saturday, which ordered an eight-day detention pending inquiries. No further details would be issued, police said, citing national security.
A spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office confirmed the individual's nationality, saying it was in contact with local authorities.
"We are in contact (with) the authorities in Cyprus regarding the arrest of a British man," the spokesperson told Reuters.
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 the conflict between regional foes Israel and Iran. Terror-related offences on the island are very rare. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Israeli strike on Tehran kills bodyguard of slain Hezbollah chief Nasrallah
Late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut's southern suburbs in September 2024. PHOTO: EPA-EFE BEIRUT - A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on June 21. The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah's slain chief, Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group. They travelled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil's son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran's air strikes against Israel from Lebanon. Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike. Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut's southern suburbs in September 2024. Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Israeli strike on Tehran kills bodyguard of slain Hezbollah chief
BEIRUT - A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday. The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah's slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group. They travelled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil's son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran's air strikes against Israel from Lebanon. Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike. Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut's southern suburbs in September. Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Israel says Iranian plot to attack citizens in Cyprus foiled
JERUSALEM - Israel said on June 21 that an Iranian plot to attack Israeli citizens in Cyprus had been foiled, as the war between the two arch-rivals raged for a ninth day. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X that Iran's Revolutionary Guards had 'tried to carry out an attack on Israeli citizens in Cyprus', a transit point where thousands have gathered either awaiting repatriation to Israel or having left the country. 'Thanks to the activity of the Cypriot security authorities, in cooperation with Israeli security services, the terror attack was thwarted,' Mr Saar said. Cyprus police said earlier on June 21 that they had arrested an individual on espionage and terror charges, with local media reporting the suspect had ties to Iran. It was not clear whether the arrest was related to the plan mentioned by Mr Saar, and Cypriot police declined to provide extensive details on the case. The Mediterranean island, home to many Israeli expats and a popular holiday destination, has become a staging post for Israelis seeking to return home by air or sea after being stranded abroad by the start of the fighting. A first boat from Cyprus carrying 1,500 Israelis docked in the Israeli port of Ashdod on June 20. After Israel's airports were closed and outbound flights cancelled following Israel's attack on Iran on June 13, up to 150,000 Israelis found themselves stranded abroad, according to transport ministry figures. Thousands have since returned home on flights by Israeli national carrier El Al and low-cost airline Arkia with Larnaca in Cyprus used as a hub along with Athens, Rome, Milan and Paris. Thanks to its location in the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus has become a key transit hub for third-country nationals fleeing the region since the recent outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Iran. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
