SSS detains individuals for planning terrorist attack against religious community member

As a result of operational-search activities carried out by the State Security Service (SSS) of Azerbaijan, Georgian citizen Aslanov Aqil Göyc? oglu and Azerbaijani citizen Ismayilov Ceyhun Sahin oglu, who planned a terrorist act against a member of a religious community operating in Azerbaijan, were detained.

Azernews reports that Aqil Aslanov, who was involved in drug trafficking, met with employees of the special service of a third country through an acquaintance during his visit to that country in September 2024. These individuals showed Aqil Aslanov photographs of a member of a religious community in Azerbaijan and provided information about the individual, offering $200,000 for an assassination. By mutual agreement, Aqil Aslanov was initially instructed to collect and transfer necessary intelligence information about the community member and their workplace, for which he received an advance payment of $2,000.

Arriving in Baku to carry out the task, Aqil Aslanov, together with Ceyhun Ismayilov, whom he involved in criminal activities for material gain, gathered information about the religious community member. They sent the location details of the individual's residence and workplace to a representative of the foreign special service via a mobile phone application.

In connection with the incident, a criminal case is being investigated by the SSS under Articles 28, 214.2.1, 274, 276, and other articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and a court ordered the arrest of Aqil Aslanov and Ceyhun Ismayilov.