Group controlled by Iranian special service - SGB exposed

Baku/01.11.22/Turan: An illegal armed group operating under the control of the Iranian special services has been exposed, the State Security Service (SSS) of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AR) said in a statement.

The department is conducting a comprehensive investigation due to the secret involvement of Azerbaijani citizens in military exercises outside the country, financing them in order to use them against the interests of state security.

Operational and investigative measures established that the leadership of the illegal armed group, hiding behind the spread of religious radical ideas, was entrusted to Ibrahimbeyli Tohid Alim oglu, Rovshan Elchin ogdu Askerov, Orkhan Kamran oglu, Hajiyev Elshad Elchin oglu (Akram Hajizade) who were put on the wanted list in 2018 and are currently hiding in Iran. During the past period, the illegal armed group mainly attracted people who had previously been convicted of various crimes, as well as considering themselves members of the organization, which they called the “Muslim Unity Movement” (MUM), the State Security Service said further.

Having moved through third countries to Tehran, they were provided with mobile phones and passports there, instructed in the rules of conspiracy and given religious nicknames, after which they were brought to Damascus by cargo planes using forged documents.

In Syria, the members of the group were trained to use firearms, combat tactics, and provided with various sums of money on receipt. The investigation established the participation of 19 citizens of the Azerbaijan Republic in illegal armed formations.

Also, numerous evidences of their participation in military exercises have been collected, as well as books and videos secretly delivered to Azerbaijan containing materials propagating a radical, religious-extremist attitude against the secular state system of the country.

In a criminal case under Article 12.1, 279.1 (participation in an armed formation abroad not provided for by the legislation of Azerbaijan), the previously convicted Huseynov Iskender Khani oglu, Hagverdiyev Tural Safar oglu, Shukurov Eltun Ali oglu and others were brought to justice and detained. Also, materials were found about giving members of the group various tasks by Ruhulla Akhundzade and other persons currently settled in Iran.

Another member of the Assad group, Orkhan Farman oglu, was arrested while attempting to commit a terrorist attack in a third country. During the investigation, there were also strong suspicions that Mammadov Fagan Sadreddin oglu, who participated in the mentioned military exercises, organized the distribution of T-shirts with religious slogans, which were delivered to Azerbaijan by car of the Iranian Embassy, ​​to participants of religious actions planned in various regions of the country.

At present, complex operational-search activities are ongoing. The State Security Service emphasizes that citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan who are involved in any illegal armed groups face strict criminal liability. Therefore, the State Security Service warns citizens who have fallen under any influence of foreign special services to timely inform the security agencies of Azerbaijan about this.

In turn, the press service of the MUM stated that none of the persons indicated in the report of the State Security Service is a member of this organization. "MUM is against mentioning the organization in the SSS message, we refute the allegations that the persons mentioned are MUM members," the press service of the movement said.-06B21-