Police in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku arrested three suspects who allegedly planned an attack on the Israeli Embassy in the city.
Azerbaijan’s State Security Service (DTX) announced on Tuesday that it has thwarted a planned terrorist attack targeting the Israeli Embassy in Baku, arresting a cell of three Azerbaijani citizens linked to ISIS-K (Wilayat Khorasan).
According to the DTX, the suspects were in the advanced stages of planning a coordinated assault involving firearms and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The cell had reportedly conducted extensive surveillance of the embassy premises and the transit routes used by Israeli diplomats.
The DTX identified the detainees as Guliyev Ilgar Ilham oglu (born 2000), known as “Abu Zar al-Muhajir"; Piriyev Amin Elshad oglu (born 2005), known by the religious alias “Abdurashid"; and Alizade Elvin Sanan oglu (born 2005), alias “Abdurrahman al-Azari."
During a raid on their operational hideout, security forces seized an arsenal of weapons, ammunition, and ready-to-use explosive materials.
The three were charged with preparation for terrorism on the basis of religious hostility by a conspiring group of individuals, using objects used as weapons, and a preventive measure of arrest was chosen for them by a court decision.
Currently, investigative and operational measures on the criminal case are continuing.
The announcement comes just 24 hours after Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar concluded a diplomatic visit to Baku. During the visit, Sa’ar met with President Ilham Aliyev to reinforce the strategic and energy ties between the two nations. Security sources suggest the timing of the plot was likely intended to strike at the heart of the burgeoning Jerusalem-Baku alliance.
The discovery of the cell also provides a clearer picture of the security concerns that led to the relocation of the European Rabbis Conference. Originally scheduled to be held in Baku last November, the event was moved to Jerusalem following specific warnings and recommendations from Israeli intelligence agencies. While the DTX maintained at the time that it was capable of securing the summit, the threat level from extremist networks was deemed too high.
Azerbaijan, a key strategic ally of Israel, has faced persistent challenges from both Sunni and Shi'ite extremist groups. In addition to the ISIS threat, the DTX has been actively combatting Iranian-backed elements, most notably the Husseiniyyun - a proxy group often referred to as the "Hezbollah of the Caucasus."
The Husseiniyyun, which adopts the same iconography as other Iranian proxies, aims to undermine Baku's secular government and its cooperation with Israel. Security officials noted that the DTX, often likened to Israel's Shin Bet for its operational efficiency, continues to work in close coordination with Jerusalem to monitor these threats and