Cyprus Detains and Deports Couple Over Suspected Iranian Surveillance, Lawyers Threaten Legal Action
By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Cyprus detained a 28-year-old Azerbaijani man and his 27-year-old Estonian partner on February 27 on terrorism charges, suspecting the pair of conducting surveillance on behalf on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, a parallel military force established after the 1979 revolution to protect the Islamic Republic and project Iranian power abroad. The couple was arrested at Larnaca Airport minutes before their scheduled departure. Police had been monitoring them since late February after receiving intelligence that the man had travelled to Iran twice in 2025 and may have been recruited by the IRGC. During their time on the island, the two visited Paphos, Limassol and Larnaca, where they were observed photographing locations frequented by Israeli nationals.
No evidence found, deportation ordered
The couple was held for 16 days. The police investigation concluded without finding evidence of illegal activity and they were released. Despite the finding, Cypriot authorities deported them to Estonia on March 13 on the grounds that they continued to pose a threat to the state. Their lawyers, Michalis Kozakos and Nikos Koromias, said the detention of two people for more than two weeks without any evidence of guilt raised serious questions about the conduct of the arrest and said they intend to take legal action against the Cypriot state.
Iran-linked arrests across the region
Greek police detained a 26-year-old Azerbaijani national in Crete days after the Cyprus arrest, on suspicion of spying on the Souda Bay air and naval base. Greek authorities investigated whether the two cases were connected, given the similar suspect profile. Bosphorus News has reported in detail on the broader pattern of espionage arrests tied to NATO assets in Greece over the past nine months, including three separate Souda Bay cases and the arrest of a Greek Air Force colonel who passed classified NATO information to China.
Turkish intelligence had already arrested six suspects, including one Iranian national, in late January on suspicion of spying for the IRGC, with the group accused of collecting intelligence on military installations including Incirlik air base. A separate operation in early February led to the detention of two Turkish nationals suspected of working for Mossad. Both cases were reported by Bosphorus News as part of a wider sequence of counter-espionage operations across the region.