NICOSIA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cypriot authorities have arrested a man traveling on an Austrian passport on suspicion of being "radicalized", meaning that he is suspected of being an Islamic State sympathizer, police said on Thursday.
Police said the man, aged 28, who is of Arab descent, was detained when he tried to cross from the part of Cyprus occupied by Turkish troops into the government controlled area of the eastern Mediterranean island.
The man traveled from Istanbul to an airport in occupied Cyprus, which Cyprus's government has declared to be illegal. But Cypriot authorities allow European Union(EU) citizens who arrive at the airport to cross into the government controlled region under complex EU regulations.
The Cypriot police said the man was taken into custody as his name was on a list of people suspected of having links with radical Islamic groups, including Islamic State.
The man seemed to have been deported from Poland before traveling to Istanbul.
Cypriot security sources said the man will most probably be deported to Austria after being questioned, as up to now there is no evidence that he has been involved in any terrorist action.
Cypriot security forces have been on alert after recent attacks in EU countries by people affiliated with Islamic State.
