British Security Officials Fear Cyprus Luxury Hotel Could Be Used to Spy on RAF Base

British security officials are raising concerns that the City of Dreams luxury hotel in Limassol, Cyprus, is being used by China for espionage and surveillance of the nearby British RAF Akrotiri base. The British newspaper The Telegraph reported on Friday.

At the center of the suspicions is the hotel's location. Rising 16 stories, it reportedly provides a convenient view of the military base. According to The Telegraph, standing at a certain point in the hotel and using binoculars makes it possible to monitor planes taking off from and landing at the base, as well as observe the movements of soldiers and other people in the area.

The hotel opened in 2023 and is owned by Melco Resorts, which belongs to Chinese-Canadian billionaire Lawrence Ho. According to the report, Ho is involved with the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, an official political advisory body of the Chinese Communist Party.

Concerns about espionage activity in the area have also been linked to an incident during the war with Iran, when the British base was struck by a Hezbollah drone. According to the report, an operation of this kind allegedly could not have been carried out without intelligence provided by one of the allies of the pro-Iranian axis, including China.

Against that backdrop, the proximity of the luxury hotel to the base, along with the location from which activity at the base can be observed, has drawn the attention of British security officials. The concern is that the building's geographic advantage could make it possible to collect information about activity at the base, including the movement of aircraft and military personnel.

The hotel has completely rejected the allegations. A City of Dreams spokesperson told The Telegraph that the hotel is used solely for tourism purposes, stressing that any claim that it is being used for another purpose is "entirely baseless."