Two Azerbaijani Citizens Arrested in Nicosia on Terrorism and Espionage Suspicions

The Nicosia District Court has ordered the five-day detention of an Azerbaijani national and his female companion, who were arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of terrorism and espionage.

According to the investigation, the pair had been photographing sites linked to Israeli interests in Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos. Operational intelligence was provided to Cypriot security services by foreign intelligence agencies, reporting that the suspects arrived on the island with the aim of surveilling and filming locations associated with Israeli citizens.

Sources indicate the suspects arrived in Cyprus two to three days ago and began moving between cities, at which point they were placed under surveillance. Security forces later conducted an operation to arrest them. It is believed they planned to leave the country this Saturday.

During the arrest, police seized mobile phones and other electronic devices for forensic examination. Investigators aim to determine which specific sites were photographed and whether the materials were shared with third parties.

The investigation is in its early stages. Searches of the suspects' residence and an analysis of their movements are planned.

The case is being treated as exceptionally serious. Security measures have already been tightened at several locations amid heightening tensions involving Iran.

Authorities are also verifying the exact time of the suspects' entry into Cyprus and identifying on whose behalf they were acting.

This is not the first such incident. In June 2025, another Azerbaijani citizen was detained in Cyprus for allegedly photographing the British Akrotiri base and the Andreas Papandreou base in Paphos. Another Azerbaijani man, arrested in 2021, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison last November in a conspiracy case—though charges related to plotting actions against Israelis in Nicosia were dropped at that time.