A British man with potential links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been arrested on suspicion of espionage and terrorism offences.
The man is reported to have kept the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus under surveillance, local media reported.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in contact with the authorities in Cyprus regarding the arrest of a British man."
RAF Akrotiri is the UK’s most important airbase for operations in the Middle East.
RAF Akrotiri, a Briitsh military base in Cyprus
REUTERS
The Philenews website said the man was arrested on Friday following intelligence he was planning an imminent terrorist attack.
He is alleged to have lived in a flat in Zakai, Limassol, close to Akrotiri and was observed near the base carrying a camera with a long lens and three mobile phones.
Local reports suggested he was Azerbaijani but the Foreign Office said it was working with the authorities over the arrest of a Briton.
The individual appeared before a district court in a closed hearing on Saturday and has been given an eight-day detention order pending further investigation.
No further details are being issued, police said, citing national security, reports The Telegraph.
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RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus is one of the force's key overseas bases
PA
The base in Cyprus is the UK’s largest military installation outside Britain and hosts Eurofighter Typhoons, which have been used in strikes against the Islamic State and Yemen’s Houthis.
Recently, the base has become a major transit hub for entry and exit into the Middle East following the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
The IRGC acts in parallel to the Iranian army, with its sole aim to ensure the integrity of the Islamic Republic.
It is currently recognised as a terrorist organisation by Canada, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the United States.
Labour did call for the IRGC to be proscribed in opposition, however has yet to do so almost a year on.
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