A dual British-Azerbaijani national has been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of spying on Akrotiri base and passing information to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, London police said on Friday.

Rashad Sultanov, 44, from Islington in north London, was arrested on July 17 by Cyprus police and is being held in custody as extradition proceedings progress, the Metropolitan Police said.

He was arrested as part of Britain’s first overseas National Security Act investigation, led by counter-terrorism police into incidents at Britain’s RAF Akrotiri base between May 11 and June 22 last year, the Metropolitan police said.

Sultanov allegedly conducted hostile surveillance on the base and is alleged to have then shared information with the IRGC, it added.

“This case shows we are able to use the National Security Act overseas when British military bases are allegedly targeted by hostile state activity,” head of counter-terrorism policing in London Helen Flanagan said.