A 72-year-old German national is facing charges of espionage after being arrested on the eastern Aegean island of Chios on Thursday while allegedly taking snapshots of a military base.

He has lived on Chios for the past four years and a search of his home revealed evidence suggesting that he has been taking photographs of military installations and other infrastructure on the island for the past three years.

He reportedly told investigators that he was being paid by Turkish nationals who approached him for the information in the summer of 2010.

His personal computer also yielded a number of suspicious e-mails, including one detailing naval and military activity near the island, authorities said.