Athens, Greece. A Greek court sentenced a 27-year-old Azerbaijani man to seven years and one month in prison on espionage charges for monitoring a military base on the island of Crete, legal sources said. The man denied wrongdoing and has appealed the ruling.
Court ruling and investigation
The sentence was handed down on Tuesday, with legal sources speaking on Thursday. The man was arrested in June last year following a surveillance operation by police and Greece’s intelligence service, on suspicion of monitoring the Souda naval base, a strategic facility for Greece, the United States and NATO.
Allegations and evidence
Police sources said he was accused of collecting and transmitting state secrets and critical military information to foreign powers, including photographs and videos of military installations. Evidence included 23 videos and nine photographs of a Greek Navy frigate that had arrived in Souda for refuelling.
Stay in Chania and background
The probe showed that the man, who had a temporary residence permit from Poland, first arrived in Greece in January 2025. Since mid-June, he had been staying in a hotel room with a view of the naval and air force base in Chania, western Crete.
Seized items and encryption software
Items seized from his room included a high-resolution camera with a telephoto lens and a tripod, USB readers and data storage cards. Police also found encryption software installed on his laptop, according to the sources.
Lawyer’s response
“He did not intend to spy,” his lawyer, Sofia Saripanidou, told Reuters. “He took pictures of a view, where everyone has access.”
Related arrests and broader scrutiny
Days earlier, a British man was arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of terror-related offences and espionage. Israel accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of trying to attack Israeli citizens on the island, and authorities have been investigating potential links between the cases in Greece and Cyprus.
Earlier this year, Greek authorities detained a 36-year-old man at Athens’ airport on suspicion of spying on the same base, police and intelligence sources said. The U.S. aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford had visited Souda earlier in the year for resupply before sailing to the Middle East.
What impact could these espionage cases have on security around the Souda naval base?
