Attack on Elmira Veliyev is a terrorist act, state security officials

Baku/06.07.18/Turan: An armed attack on the head of the Ganja Executive Power, Elmar Veliyev, was a planned terrorist act, stated law enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan. A joint report of the press services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor General's Office and the State Security Service recalled that on July 3, a Russian citizen Yunis Safarov wounded the fireman Veliyev and the city police sergeant Gasym Ashbazov (previously he was listed by the security forces as Veliyev's bodyguard). During the investigation, law enforcement agencies found that the crime committed by Safarov was a premeditated act of terrorism.

In 2016, he arrived in Iran and spent 8 months in the Gume year.

During this period together with the citizen of Azerbaijan, Rasim Asadov, he was trained in the armed formations in the territory of Syria. In 2017, he arrived in Ganja, and, for obtaining firearm, he attacked a policeman who guarded the local branch of Kapitalbank. After striking him with a blunt object, Safarov took the Makarov pistol from the police officer.

Later, in order to assassinate Veliyev in January 2018, he followed him. His suspicious actions attracted the attention of a police officer. However, Safarov shot a policeman, and was able to escape.

On July 3 Safarov, once again appeared in the Ganja administration, attempted to assassinate Veliyev and the police officer who was near him. Law enforcement agencies point out that Safarov pursued the goal to establish in Azerbaijan an Islamic state governed by Sharia law.

To this end, the killing of a number of well-known government officials was planned with the aim of causing chaos and panic in the country and eventually seizing power.

To achieve this goal, Safarov prepared a video message on behalf of the Muslim Unity Movement and directed them to his like-minded people abroad.

It was planned to extend this appeal after the July 3 terrorist attack.

In the video message Safarov said that he killed a man who left without the head three young children of the convicted leader of the Movement of Muslim Unity Taleh Bagirzade and called for taking an example from him, killing enemies of Islam. Safarov spoke about the need to take power in Azerbaijan by the Islamic community and called for armed struggle against officials in the country.

In the course of investigative measures, three of his accomplices, who participated in the crime, were also arrested. Measures are being taken to identify and prosecute other members of an organized criminal group.

The Movement Muslim Unity stated that Safarov had nothing to do with this organization. "We did not know this person, he has no relation to our organization," said the representative of the Movement. -06B-