Azerbaijani Detained for Espionage at Souda Bay: Insists He Came for Tourism

In a unanimous decision by the examining magistrate and prosecutor, the 26-year-old Azerbaijani man accused of espionage after being caught with thousands of photos from the military base in Souda Bay has been placed in temporary detention. The young man appeared at the Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday morning (June 25, 2025) to defend himself against allegations of spying on the American base in Souda. From the moment of his arrest, he has refused to cooperate with authorities, declining to provide fingerprints and maintaining that he came to Souda as a tourist, not a spy. Investigations are ongoing into whether he was recruited by Russian services or Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, who reportedly often hire Azerbaijani nationals to work as spies. Additionally, authorities are exploring potential links between this case and another Azerbaijani arrested for espionage in Cyprus. Notably, both men used similar applications and camera equipment to transmit photographic materials to their handlers.