A 26-year-old male of Azerbaijani origin, holding Polish residency, has been arrested in Crete on charges of espionage.

Greek Police and the National Intelligence Service (EYP) apprehended the suspect on 22 June in his hotel room in Souda, following several days of surveillance.

Authorities seized a laptop, mobile phone, digital camera, and USB drive. The devices contained over 5,000 photographs, primarily of naval vessels entering and exiting the military port of Souda Bay.

The laptop contained commercial encryption software while, according to Greek media reports, some of the photographs had already been transmitted to an unknown recipient.

The suspect arrived in Greece on 18 June and requested a hotel room with a view of Souda Bay. During his stay, he exited the room only twice to purchase supplies, which raised suspicion. He pre-paid for the room in cash to avoid leaving digital fingerprints, while Greece’s ERT news reported that the suspect did not arrive to Crete either by commercial boat or airplane.

Greek authorities have heightened security measures in response to the deeply troubling developments in the Middle East as well as due to the recent arrest of another Azerbaijani national in Cyprus on charges of espionage. The suspect was under surveillance by Greek authorities prior to his arrest.

The suspect did not resist arrest and declined state-appointed legal representation, stating he would be represented by his own private lawyer. He communicated in Russian and Turkish and claimed he was in Greece for tourism.