Security services in Greece and Cyprus have uncovered a suspected Iranian espionage network targeting NATO and British military installations, resulting in the arrest of two Azerbaijani nationals, authorities said.
The arrests – one in Crete and another in Cyprus – were not officially linked, but Greek officials have not ruled out the possibility that both suspects are part of the same spy ring with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Greek police said on Sunday they arrested a 26-year-old Azerbaijani man in Crete on espionage charges. The suspect was allegedly photographing the Souda Bay naval base and monitoring the movements of warships. He had rented a hotel room with a direct view of the facility, paid in cash, and was carrying Polish travel documents.
Two days earlier, Cypriot authorities detained a 40-year-old Azerbaijani in Paphos on suspicion of espionage and terrorism. Court documents cited in local media indicate that the man had links to the IRGC and had been photographing British military facilities.
According to Greek daily Ekathimerini, the suspect in Crete arrived in Greece in January and relocated to Crete on June 18. Intelligence services reportedly received a tip-off from a foreign partner agency, possibly the CIA or Israel’s Mossad.
The suspect rarely left his room and had asked hotel staff not to disturb him. When arrested on June 22, authorities seized high-resolution cameras, telephoto lenses, mobile phones, laptops, memory cards, and USB drives. Intelligence sources said he had taken around 5,000 photographs and transmitted them using encrypted software.
The suspect arrested in Cyprus had rented a luxury apartment in Limassol in April and allegedly photographed nearby British bases. He travelled to Paphos on June 20 following media reports about the deployment of U.S. military aircraft.
Both suspects have refused to cooperate with authorities and requested legal representation.
Greek officials noted Azerbaijan’s historically close ties with Iran and recalled a 2021 case involving Azerbaijani national Orkhan Asadov, who was accused of plotting to assassinate an Israeli businessman in Cyprus on orders from the IRGC.