Armed group neutralized in Azerbaijan linked to Al-Qaeda

Azerbaijan, Baku, April 18 / Trend /

A criminal group neutralized previously in Azerbaijan has been linked to Al Qaeda, the Public Relations' centre of the Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan told Trend on Wednesday.

As a result of special operation conducted by the Ministry of National Security (MNS), an armed group which planned a series of sabotage and subversion and terrorist acts to disrupt social stability and creating panic among the population in Azerbaijan was neutralized.

It was found that in the summer of 2011 Azerbaijani citizen Vugar Padarov in order to prepare for the sabotage and subversion and terrorist acts created an armed group, supplied its members with firearms, ammunition, explosives, and other military equipment.

It was found that some members of the armed group previously with the help of representatives of the Al Qaeda international terrorist organization have undergone special religious and psychological training in schools-madrasas in Syria to participate in jihad. Then some members of the armed group arrived in the Pakistani province of Waziristan. After undergoing for a few months military and religious training within Islami-Jihad terrorist group, which is a member of the Al Qaeda international terrorist organization, they were trained to fire from various weapons, artillery and missiles, mortars, to create explosives and lay mines. Then these individuals as part of the Islami-jihad terrorist group participated in military operations against international anti-terrorist coalition forces in the provinces of Paktika and Paktia, Khost, Kandahar and Helmand in Afghanistan.

Other members of the group for two months underwent in Iran a special military and physical training, training in supervision, etc. An active member of the armed group Elmir Nuraliyev nicknamed "Maga" in August 2010 was in Dagestan, where he participated in terrorist acts and other criminal activities in the units of "Amir" of Abu Hurayrah, "Amirs of the Dagestani front" of Israpil Velidzhanov nicknamed "Hasan" and Ibrahimkhalil Daudov nicknamed "Saleh", who have links with Al Qaeda international terrorist organization.

At the end of that year Elmir Nuraliyev in the secret camp of detachment of Ibrahimkhalil Daudov located near Dagestani village of Kadar met with Vugar Padarov nicknamed "Busra". Padarov offered Elmir Nuraliyev to organize jihad in Azerbaijan. The aim was to carry out multiple terrorist attacks in several regions of Azerbaijan, create an environment of absence of control and anarchy in the country, confusion and fear among the population, organize confrontation on the ethnic and religious grounds, disrupt stability and undermine the authority of the republic.

To do this, it was planned to blow up a number of holy places, mosques and places of pilgrimage belonging to other religious confession. In addition, the group planned to organize armed attacks on law-enforcement agencies, to kill officers and to appropriate ammunition and weapons that are in office buildings. Among the members of the group powers were allocated, terrorist targets and schemes of their location, operation, staffing, snipers, etc. defined.

To neutralize the dangerous terrorist group, which poses a serious threat to the social and political life of the country and to prevent terrorist acts the Ministry of National Security conducted large-scale security operations in Baku, Ganja, Sumgait, in Gakh, Zagatala, Sheki, Absheron and Khachmaz regions.

In some cases, attempts of armed resistance by the group's members were prevented.

Four submachine guns, one RPK-type machinegun, four pistols of different types, a large amount of cartridge, 33 hand grenades of various types, 29 fuses, various explosive devices and substances produced in a special way, 20 detonators, 36 Kenwood portable radio transmitters, other military equipment and items use of which was planned for terrorist and subversive acts, literature that promotes terrorism and jihad, prohibited by law were found and seized from detained members of the armed group.

In addition, the law enforcement agencies found one explosive device, which is a toy car with remote control manufactured under special schemes, mostly inherent to international terrorism, capable of destroying a living creature in a radius of 100 meters, within which explosives were placed - 438.2 g of plastids, trotyl bombs of 200 and 75 g, capsule, metal shavings, designed for mass destruction.

At present the Main Investigation Department of the Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan began criminal case under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code.

To investigate all the circumstances of the criminal case and establish other members of the illegal actions investigations and operational search measures continue.

The public will be given additional information.