Man is arrested 'for spying on British RAF base in Cyprus'

Police in Cyprus have arrested a man who allegedly had an RAF base on the island 'under surveillance' on suspicion of terror-related offences and espionage, authorities said on Saturday.

The individual appeared before a district court this morning amid rising tensions in the Israel-Iran war.

The court ordered an eight-day detention pending inquiries.

No further details would be issued, police said, citing national security reasons.

The Typhoon fleet at the UK's RAF Akrotiri on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, just over 250 miles from Israel, has been bolstered in recent days. Pictured: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks to soldiers at RAG Akrotiri in December last year

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 a conflict between regional foes Israel and Iran.

Terror-related offences on the island are very rare.

This is a breaking news story and is being updated.

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