Cyprus: He lived for 20 years as a political refugee in the island and was an agent of Iran - He was planning assassinations of Israelis in Cyprus
Translation/Gist: Nickolaos Mavromates
Cypriot authorities do not rule out the possibility that he could even be deported to Iran - He was cooperating with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards
An Iranian man detained in Cyprus was seeking his release due to his deportation for his involvement in planning a terrorist act against an Israeli businessman in Limassol.
T.B. had gone to Cyprus in 2002 and in 2004 changed his name, with the consent of the Cypriot authorities, to K.R. for security reasons, as he claimed to be in danger from the Iranian regime. His wife and child had travelled to Cyprus along with him.
For 22 years the family had been living in the Republic of Cyprus, and in 2004 they had all been recognized as political refugees, securing permanent residence permits and the right to travel throughout Europe.
However, things were not as they seemed, and despite claiming to be in danger, he was cooperating with Iran's intelligence services and even with the Revolutionary Guards' section that was organizing terrorist activities abroad.
He was arrested in an operation by the Cypriot Intelligence Service
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Since 2014, the CIS (State Intelligence Service) had information that the political refugee was involved in a case of issuing forged travel documents. However, he continued to remain in Cyprus. He even applied for Cypriot citizenship, which was rejected.
Last year, information had come to the attention of the Cypriot authorities that he was involved in suspicious activity, going back and forth to the Turkish occupied territories of Cyprus, being associated with the secret services of Iran and participating in terrorist operations in the Republic of Georgia.
Another Iranian had been arrested with him, but the two had no common activity. However, they both had the same handler who visited the Turkish occupied territories and met with them and he is alleged to be the mastermind behind the organization of an operation to assassinate Israelis in Georgia.
He may be sent back to Iran
After his arrest, detention and deportation orders were issued. The suspect then appealed to the judiciary to have the orders annulled, but this was rejected and he remained in detention pending deportation. An attempt was made to have him deported to a third country (reportedly Lebanon controlled by the pro-Iranian Hezbollah) , but this was not accepted. The Cypriot authorities do not rule out the possibility that he could even be deported to Iran, since information suggests that he has links with the country.
As stated in the decision of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Cyprus, the effort to deport him has not been dropped nor has it waned. "On the contrary, the competent authorities of the Republic of Cyprus do not appear to be complacent or inert. It appears that actions, initiatives and representations have been taken by the authorities, which are still in progress, in relation to finding a country to which the Iranian could be deported, before, as a last resort, the possibility of his being returned to Iran is considered. To this end, it appears that various elements are being exploited, such as the association of his contacts and visits to a number of countries using various travel documents, including passports allegedly issued by his country of origin just two (2) to three (3) years prior to his arrest in November 2023."
His request for release was of course been denied