An Azerbaijani man arrested near the Souda Bay military base on the Greek island of Crete on espionage charges was ordered to remain in custody Wednesday following a hearing with a prosecutor.
According to Greece’s public broadcaster ERT, the man has not cooperated with investigators and is refusing to provide his fingerprints.
During a nearly three-hour testimony, the 26-year-old claimed he was visiting the city of Chania as a tourist and said that any photos he took of military sites were unintentional, insisting he was simply photographing the scenery.
Greek authorities are now investigating whether he may be part of a larger espionage network and if he has ties to another Azerbaijani national, age 40, who was recently arrested on spying charges in Cyprus.
The man was taken into custody on Sunday at the Souda Bay naval base, a key military installation that hosts U.S. operations, after allegedly photographing military ships. He faces felony espionage charges.’
