Police in Cyprus have arrested a British man on suspicion of committing crimes related to terrorism and espionage, authorities said today, Reuters reports.
The man appeared before the district court today, which ordered an eight-day detention while the investigation continues. Further details will not be released, police said, citing national security.
A British Foreign Office spokesman confirmed the person's nationality, saying they were in contact with local authorities.
"We are in contact with the authorities in Cyprus regarding the arrest of the British man," a spokesman told Reuters.
Several Cypriot news outlets reported that the suspect is a man of Azerbaijani ethnic origin and was arrested in Zakaki, a suburb of the coastal city of Limassol.
The suspect is believed to have been monitoring the British Royal Air Force (RAF) base in nearby Akrotiri, as well as the Cyprus Air Force Base "Andreas Papandreou" in the western Paphos region, since mid-April, Cypriot news portal ANT1 reported.
Cyprus is located very close to the Middle East and has been used in recent days as a transit point for people leaving or going to the region amid the conflict between regional enemies Israel and Iran. Acts of terrorism on the island are very rare.
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