Azeri national arrested in Souda for espionage

A 26-year-old man from Azerbaijan was arrested for espionage yesterday, June 22, in Souda, Crete, following an operation by the National Intelligence Service (EYP), as he was photographing military installations.

The man in question, born in Azerbaijan and holding a Polish passport, is reported to have rented a hotel very close to the air-naval base and was taking photographs of the base in Souda.

The 26-year-old arrived in Chania on June 18, and at the hotel where he stayed, he requested a room with a view of the Souda port. In fact, he had booked the room for a month. During his stay, he left his room only to get basic necessities.
Following his arrest, searches were conducted in his room, where a memory card, a mobile phone, and a camera were found. According to reports, he had taken over 5,000 photos of the entrance and exit of Souda port, from his room.

On his computer, special encryption software was found, through which he was sending the photos. Authorities are currently trying to identify the recipient of the photos.

So far, the 26-year-old Azeri, who speaks Russian and Turkish, has not cooperated with the authorities and has requested a lawyer to represent him.