16:12, 24 May 2008

Azerbaijan to try al-Qaeda militants

On May 30, a judicial session will take place in Azerbaijan on the case of a citizen of Saudi Arabia Nail Abdul Kerim al-Bedevi, also known as Abu-Jafar, and other 17 persons. All of them are accused of setting up an armed terrorist group.

According to the materials of the investigation, Abu-Jafar was closely linked to international terrorists from al-Qaeda and al-Jihad. In 2001-2007, Abu-Jafar participated in military operations in the territory of Georgia, Chechnya, Dagestan and Azerbaijan. He is accused of attacking enterprises, establishments, organizations and individuals.

According to statements of employees of the Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan, the criminal group was formed from participants of illegal armed formations, radical Wahhabites and other extremist elements.

The following fire-arms and explosives were confiscated from the members of the group: three pistols, a Kalashnikov sub-machine gun, 12 grenades, over 1 kilo trotyl blocks, 4 meters of Bickford fuse, 91 detonators, over 600 machine gun cartridges and many other things.

Author: Rafael Gasanov, CK correspondent