A Cyprus court has rejected the United Kingdom’s request to extradite a 45-year-old man accused of espionage at the British bases on the island. The case will now be brought again before the Limassol Criminal Court.
The UK submitted its extradition request to the Republic of Cyprus in June, arguing that the alleged offences had been committed on British territory.
The man, identified as R.S., was arrested by Cyprus Police in the summer of 2025 over allegations including photographing military installations within the British bases at Akrotiri.
Case initially filed in Cyprus
The man was arrested on 21 June 2025. The Republic of Cyprus subsequently brought a case against him before the Limassol Criminal Court, including allegations of surveillance of the Andreas Papandreou air base in Paphos.
The Attorney General later suspended the proceedings after considering the British extradition request and decided to pursue his extradition instead. The man, who holds Azerbaijani and British citizenship, was re-arrested under the UK request when the suspension took effect in July 2025.
Following the court’s rejection of the extradition request, the case is set to return to the Limassol Criminal Court.
Alleged links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
According to information previously reported, British authorities believe the suspect has direct links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
UK authorities allege that he collected visual material from inside buildings at the British bases, monitored the frequency of British fighter jet flights and passed information to a suspected handler, Elshad Elchin Hajiyev, who is wanted under an international arrest warrant.
The allegations have not been proven in court. If convicted in the UK, the suspect could face up to 14 years in prison.
UK sought joint investigation team
In November 2025, the UK asked Cyprus, through Eurojust, the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, to establish a joint investigation team to examine the case.
The latest court decision means the case will now proceed again through the Cypriot judicial system.
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