A man with suspected connections to Iran has been arrested for allegedly planning a terrorist attack against a British military base in Cyprus.
The suspect from Azerbaijan is linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard but was pretending to be a British tourist, according to local media.
He was arrested based on intelligence that he had planned an imminent attack against the British RAF base in Akrotiri, according to Cypriot newspaper Phileleftheros.
Two more people were arrested by terror police in Britain as part of the same operation, reports Philenews.
The Akrotiri base is used for fast jet operations in the Middle East and hosts 84 Squadron - the RAF’s last remaining search and rescue unit.
Cops reportedly swooped on the suspect in the Zakaki suburb of the coastal city Limassol.
Officials believe he had been monitoring the RAF base since mid-April, along with Cyprus’s own Andreas Papandreou Air Base.
Reportedly disguised as a British tourist, the man is said to have been spotted taking photos of the base almost every day with a long range camera.
Also seized were three mobile phones, professional tripods, notes and computers, according to local reporting.
The man been charged with terror-related offences and espionage, authorities said on Saturday.
Police said no further details would be released on grounds of national security.
The suspect appeared before the Limassol District Court on Friday morning.
An eight-day detention was ordered to allow cops to investigate.
Cyprus lies very close to the Middle East and has been used as a transport portal to the region since Iran and Israel began trading missiles.
In May, an Iranian terror plot against the Israeli embassy in London was foiled at the eleventh hour.
Police launched a major counter-terrorism operation and made "urgent" arrests across the country.
Police arrested five men, including four Iranians, and said they had identified the "specific" target of the plot, understood to have been the Isreali embassy.
At the time Iran said it "categorically rejects" the suggestion that its nationals plotted against the embassy - and suggested something was "amiss" with the accusations.
The suspects were seized in Swindon, west London, Stockport, Rochdale and Manchester.
It was reported that one of the suspects had "close links" to the Iranian regime
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