Azerbaijan says arrested French national for ‘espionage’

Azerbaijan authorities arrested a Frenchman on espionage charges in December, the Azerbaijani ambassador to France told AFP on Tuesday.

The announcement comes amid rising tensions between Baku and Paris.

Baku has accused France of supporting Azerbaijan’s arch-enemy Armenia, both diplomatically and militarily, and of seeking to fuel tensions in the South Caucasus.

“Suspected of having committed acts of espionage, Martin Ryan, a French national, was arrested on December 4, 2023,” said Azerbaijan’s ambassador Leyla Abdullayeva.

She said judicial authorities had ordered him to be detained “for a period of four months.”