Azerbaijan: Terror attack foiled in Baku

Rovshan Ismayilov: 10/29/07

In what some experts have called the most dangerous case of Islamic radicalism yet in Azerbaijan, authorities in the energy-rich South Caucasus announced October 29 that they have foiled a terrorist attack in Baku. The incident raises the possibility that religious radicalism has gained a foothold within the Azerbaijani military.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of National Security (MNS), "several people" characterized as members of a "Wahabbi group" have been taken into custody. A first lieutenant in the Azerbaijani Army, identified as Kamran Asadov, was identified as a key participant in the conspiracy, according to MNS statement. Ministry spokesman Arif Babayev said that Asadov is suspected of having supplied the terrorists with arms, including four machine guns, a mortar and 20 hand grenades. Wahabbism is a puritanical form of Islam with roots in Saudi Arabia. In many former Soviet states the term "Wahabbi" is used as a synonym for Islamic militant.

As a precaution, the US and British embassies in Baku suspended consular operations. Offices of several Western oil companies, including British Petroleum and Norway's StatOilHydro ASA, were closed. Babayev, the security spokesman, indicated that the alleged conspiracy targeted several Azerbaijani government buildings and the US Embassy. A US Embassy statement cautioned Americans in Azerbaijan to "maintain a high level of vigilance."

The plot crumbled on October 27, when Azerbaijani Special Forces raided a home in Mashtaga, a suburb of Baku, taking suspected terrorists into custody and recovering a cache of weapons and ammunition, the ministry statement said. One suspect offered resistance and was shot and killed.

"The incident is being investigated and measures are being taken to neutralize other members of the group," said the ministry statement. "The situation is under control. The public will be notified of developments."

According to ANS television, Asadov went AWOL from his military base and remains at large. The channel also reported that roughly 10 officers and cadets at Azerbaijan's Higher Military School are suspected of harboring Wahabbi beliefs and are being questioned in connection with the incident.

The Defense Ministry press service downplayed the possibility of a connection between Asadov and the Higher Military School suspects. However, law enforcement agencies indicated that Asadov had links to the detained Higher Military School officers and cadets.

Hidayat Orujev, the head of Azerbaijan's State Committee for Religious Affairs, indicated that the involvement of at least one military officer in the conspiracy was a source of concern. "I share the view that reports of Wahabbism being widespread in the Azerbaijani army are groundless. However, observations show that if there is one [Islamic radical in the army], there may be many others," the APA news agency quoted Orujev as saying.

Since the initial October 27 raid, Azerbaijani authorities have been carrying out a security sweep in and around Baku, resulting in at least 17 individuals being detained. In the Devichi Region, roughly 140 kilometers from Baku, a suspected radical activist, Mirza Alibekov, was taken into custody after authorities discovered radical religious literature in his home.

Reflecting a heightened sense of skittishness in the wake of the raids, APA reported that two Azerbaijani nationals – identified as Chingiz Rafibeyli and Mobil Jabrailov – were detained briefly outside the US Embassy during the afternoon of October 29. The two were reportedly acting suspiciously outside of the embassy grounds, and US officials requested that Azerbaijani security officials take action.

Ilgar Mamedov, a Baku-based political scientist, suggested that the United States may have provided the intelligence that led to the security sweep. "Most likely, information about these [radical] groups was given to Azerbaijani special services during the recent visit to Baku by CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden," Mamedov said. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Other experts said the incident sheds light on the growth of ultra-conservative religious beliefs in Azerbaijan, adding that the issue of containing Islamic radicalism is rapidly becoming a major challenge for the government.

Editor's Note: Rovshan Ismayilov is a freelance journalist based in Baku.

Posted October 29, 2007 © Eurasianet