A British man has been arrested on suspicion of espionage and terrorism offences in Cyprus.

He allegedly surveilled the RAF Akrotiri base on the island and is suspected of having links with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, local media reported.

RAF Akrotiri is the UK’s most important airbase for operations in the Middle East.

The Philenews website said the man was arrested on Friday after intelligence he was planning an imminent terrorist attack.

The man appeared before a district court on Saturday, which ordered he be detained for eight days pending inquiries, Reuters reported. Police told the news agency they would not be releasing further details, citing national security.

He is alleged to have lived in a flat in Zakai, Limassol, close to Akrotiri, and was observed near the base carrying a camera with a long lens and three mobile phones.

The suspect is also alleged to have had the Cyprus’s Andreas Papandreou airbase, in the western region of Paphos, under surveillance since mid-April, the country’s ANT1 news portal reported.

Local reports suggested he was Azerbaijani but the UK Foreign Office said they were working with the authorities over the arrest of a Briton.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are in contact with the authorities in Cyprus regarding the arrest of a British man.”

Security at RAF bases is under scrutiny after Palestine Action protesters entered the Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire and vandalised two aircraft.

RAF Brize Norton serves as the hub for UK strategic air transport and refuelling, including flights to RAF Akrotiri.