Two spies have already been exposed in Greece for collecting information about military facilities
Kyiv • UNN
An Azerbaijani citizen with a Polish passport was arrested in Greece for espionage near a naval base. 5,000 files with photos of ships entering and leaving the base were found on his devices, and a possible connection to other arrests is being investigated.
Greek authorities arrested an Azerbaijani citizen for espionage after he was caught photographing the Souda naval base on the northwestern coast of Crete on Sunday. This was reported by UNN with reference to eKathimerini.
Details
The 26-year-old man was detained as part of a joint operation by the National Intelligence Service (EYP) and the Greek police. As the police found out, the suspect was born in Azerbaijan but has a Polish passport.
On June 18, the man rented a hotel room, asking for a view of Souda Bay. He paid for a month's stay in advance, but, according to hotel staff, he hardly left the room. Digital evidence collected from his camera and laptop, found on him, contained approximately 5,000 files of ships entering and exiting the base.
The suspect is not cooperating with the authorities, sources told the publication.
Authorities are investigating his possible connection to another Azerbaijani who was arrested a few days ago in Limassol, also on suspicion of espionage, mostly related to British military bases.
The arrest came after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced on Saturday evening that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had attempted a terrorist attack targeting Israeli citizens in Cyprus. The attack was thwarted by Cypriot security services in cooperation with Israeli security services.
Addition
Two days ago, the BBC reported that a Briton had been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of espionage and terrorism-related crimes.
He is believed to have been conducting surveillance for Iran at the Royal Air Force Akrotiri base on the island. The suspect is of Azerbaijani origin and has connections to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
He appeared in district court on Saturday and was detained for another eight days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it had contacted the Cypriot authorities.
Royal Air Force Akrotiri is the UK's most important base in the region and has previously been used to defend Israel's skies from Iranian attack.
Addition
Iranian authorities sent a message to President Donald Trump threatening to activate "sleeper terrorist cells" in the US in case of an attack.
US President Donald Trump will decide within two weeks whether to strike Iran, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said during a briefing.