2007 Baku terrorist plot
Encyclopedia
2007 Baku terrorist plot was a foiled islamic terrorist plot, aimed to insult several targets in Baku
, Azerbaijan
. The resulting security measures prompted the closure of the American
and British
embassies. Some institutions such as Norwegian
Statoil
and American McDermott oil companies limited their activity.
On October 29, 2007 Azeri law enforcement agencies
reported that they had detained a group of Salafi
s armed with grenade launcher
s who were preparing an attack near the United States and British embassies. According to the National Security Ministry
spokesman it was discovered that the group had four Kalashnikov
assault rifle
s, one Kalashnikov grenade launcher, 20 grenade
s, ammunition and automatic weapon parts. The group was also reported to have planned to attack a number of state buildings and representatives of private companies.
from a military base. The Ministry of National Security has claimed that the officer was a follower of the Salafism and the stolen arms were going to be used in terror attacks. 1st Lt. Kamran Asadov was alleged to have taken four machine guns, a mortar and 20 grenades from his military unit and hidden them in the city for a militant attack.
According to report of Azeri Ministry's of Public Relations Department on 6 November, Abu Jafar, Arab
by nationality, affiliated with Al-Qaeda
and Al-Jihad, and others came to Azerbaijan and established an armed group from the persons who formerly participated in the illegal military units in separate conflict zones. During the joint measures of the law-enforcement bodies on 26 September in Qusar rayon
, one of the group's members, resident of Qusar rayon, Telman Abdullayev (b. 1975) put up armed resistance, wounding two policemen with the fire-arm and could run from the place of incident. In addition, other members of the group, Vidadi Kerimov, Adil Jaraykhanov, Vitali Agamammadov, Asaf Nazarov and Danial Abuyev, were detained. It was discovered that the group was plotting to help Abu Jafar to escape Azerbaijan. The apartment in Sumgayit, where Abu Jafar was hidden, was taken under control. On October 10, during an operation in the apartment Abdul Malik and Elchin Alimirzayev a.k.a. Haji were arrested but Abu Jafar fired at officers and managed to escape.
, 3 pistol
s, 1 rifle
, 12 hand grenades, 11 special lighters, 1.075 grams of explosives, 4-meter long Bickford's fuse
, 91 detonator
s, 4 pistol magazines, 4 submachine gun magazines, 25 bullet
s, about 600 cartridges
, 3 special lanterns, 2 compass
es, 1 signal firework unit, 1 electricity conducting device, maps and other supplies were discovered. Proceedings were instituted under articles 279.2, 315.2 and 228.2.1 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
The court also sentenced other members of the group;
The court adopted a resolution and sent a notification to the Defense Ministry to annul a lieutenant rank from Asadov.
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. The resulting security measures prompted the closure of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
embassies. Some institutions such as Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Statoil
Statoil
Statoil ASA is a Norwegian petroleum company established in 1972. It merged with Norsk Hydro in 2007 and was known as StatoilHydro until 2009, when the name was changed back to Statoil ASA. The brand Statoil was retained as a chain of fuel stations owned by StatoilHydro...
and American McDermott oil companies limited their activity.
On October 29, 2007 Azeri law enforcement agencies
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
reported that they had detained a group of Salafi
Salafi
A Salafi come from Sunni Islam is a follower of an Islamic movement, Salafiyyah, that is supposed to take the Salaf who lived during the patristic period of early Islam as model examples...
s armed with grenade launcher
Grenade launcher
A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....
s who were preparing an attack near the United States and British embassies. According to the National Security Ministry
Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijan Ministry of National Security is an intelligence agency of the Azerbaijan government...
spokesman it was discovered that the group had four Kalashnikov
Mikhail Kalashnikov
Lieutenant General Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov is a Russian small arms designer, most famous for designing the AK-47 assault rifle, the AKM and the AK-74.-Early life:...
assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
s, one Kalashnikov grenade launcher, 20 grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s, ammunition and automatic weapon parts. The group was also reported to have planned to attack a number of state buildings and representatives of private companies.
Background
On October 25, 2007 Azeri Ministry of Defense reported that one of the army officers deserted his regiment, taking four Kalashnikov assault rifles along with a machine gunMachine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
from a military base. The Ministry of National Security has claimed that the officer was a follower of the Salafism and the stolen arms were going to be used in terror attacks. 1st Lt. Kamran Asadov was alleged to have taken four machine guns, a mortar and 20 grenades from his military unit and hidden them in the city for a militant attack.
According to report of Azeri Ministry's of Public Relations Department on 6 November, Abu Jafar, Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
by nationality, affiliated with Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and Al-Jihad, and others came to Azerbaijan and established an armed group from the persons who formerly participated in the illegal military units in separate conflict zones. During the joint measures of the law-enforcement bodies on 26 September in Qusar rayon
Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan
Politically, Azerbaijan is divided into:*59 districts ,*11 cities ,*1 autonomous republic , which itself contains:**7 districts**1 city...
, one of the group's members, resident of Qusar rayon, Telman Abdullayev (b. 1975) put up armed resistance, wounding two policemen with the fire-arm and could run from the place of incident. In addition, other members of the group, Vidadi Kerimov, Adil Jaraykhanov, Vitali Agamammadov, Asaf Nazarov and Danial Abuyev, were detained. It was discovered that the group was plotting to help Abu Jafar to escape Azerbaijan. The apartment in Sumgayit, where Abu Jafar was hidden, was taken under control. On October 10, during an operation in the apartment Abdul Malik and Elchin Alimirzayev a.k.a. Haji were arrested but Abu Jafar fired at officers and managed to escape.
Operation
As a result of special operations, conducted on 2-3 November, Abu Jafar and other members of the group, Mirza Babayev, Gadir Hajiyev, Vugar Aliyev, Emin Cami, Logman Muradov, Habil Masmaliyev and Parviz Karimov, were detained. Due to the witty measures of the National Security Ministry’s "Gartal" ("Eagle") special team, Abu Jafar was detained without damage. 1 AKMS submachine gunSubmachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
, 3 pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s, 1 rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
, 12 hand grenades, 11 special lighters, 1.075 grams of explosives, 4-meter long Bickford's fuse
Fuse (explosives)
In an explosive, pyrotechnic device or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately...
, 91 detonator
Detonator
A detonator is a device used to trigger an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the latter two being the most common....
s, 4 pistol magazines, 4 submachine gun magazines, 25 bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
s, about 600 cartridges
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
, 3 special lanterns, 2 compass
Compass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
es, 1 signal firework unit, 1 electricity conducting device, maps and other supplies were discovered. Proceedings were instituted under articles 279.2, 315.2 and 228.2.1 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
Sentencing
On June 18, 2009 the Serious Crime Court sentenced Kamran Asadov, Bahtiar Orujov, Farid Jabbarov, Kamran Babayev and Samir Mehraliyev to a 15 year imprisonment.The court also sentenced other members of the group;
- Elshan Mammadov, Vugar Aliyev and Ilkin Ismailov to 14 years
- Tarlan Karimov - 13 years
- Ramil Karimov and Samir Aliyevto to 12 years
- Yashar Maharramov and Rovshan Abdulaliyev to 12 years and 6 months.
- Ramin Jalilov - 11 years
- Shirvani Babayev and Azeri Ibadov - 10 years
- Orkhan Alizadeh - 10 years and 6 months
- Edgar Aliyev - 6 years and 6 months
- Hajibala Huseynov - 6 years and three months
- Shahriyar Maharramov - 2 years
The court adopted a resolution and sent a notification to the Defense Ministry to annul a lieutenant rank from Asadov.