Azerbaijan: group of suspects of preparing terror acts detained

The Ministry of National Security (MNS) of Azerbaijan has announced detention of a group of persons, who had forwarded from Georgia to Azerbaijan for committing terror acts there "a large amount of firearms, weapon components, ammunition, explosives and appliances." There is a citizen of Russia among the detainees.

This detention has replenished statistics of prevented terror acts in the country. The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that according to the MNS head Eldar Makhmudov, in 2009, 49 persons were arrested as suspects of terrorist activities.

As reported by the PR Centre of the MNS, the following members of the group were neutralized on March 16, 2010: citizens of Azerbaijan Samir Nuriev, Rafael Mugamov, Yashar Gurbanov, Ismail Panakhov, Rosa Namasova, Khaver Namasova and Bella Panakhova, and a Russian Elbert Gairbiev, Chairman of the Baku-based Chechen Society of Invalids named "Salam", as the "Interfax" reports.

According to the MNS, for some time the members of the grouping hid the weapons and ammunition inside a roof of one of Baku kindergartens. Then the stock was removed to the territory of one of secondary schools of the capital.

"The investigation held on all the facts has shown that by placing the weapons and ammunition, explosives and appliances in the immediate proximity from the kindergarten and school, the organized criminal grouping planned to commit terror acts on these objects," said the Azerbaijani MNS' PR Centre.

In the course of interrogations, defendant Mugamov said that the leader of the grouping Agil Namazov, who stays, as inspectors believe, outside Azerbaijan, told repeatedly, when speaking to him about his plans "to commit jihad" in Azerbaijan and explosions in public places.