A man was arrested at Paphos airport on Sunday for impersonation after attempting to leave the country with a forged passport.

According to Paphos police spokesman Michalis Nicolaou, the man presented an Austrian passport to officials at 4pm on Sunday to board a flight to Italy.

When questioned, he admitted to being a third country national seeking political asylum.

The man was taken into custody after being charged with false impersonation and forgery.