According to the information from the State Security Service (DSS) on January 27, individuals preparing a terrorist attack against the embassy of a foreign country in Azerbaijan have been arrested: "During the operational-investigative measures, Azerbaijani citizens - born in 2000, Ilgar Ilham oglu Guliyev, religiously nicknamed "Abu Zar al-Muhajir," born in 2005, Amin Elshad oglu Piriyev, religiously nicknamed "Abdurashid," and born in 2005, Elvin Sanan oglu Alizade, religiously nicknamed "Abdurrahman al-Azeri," were reasonably suspected of preparing a terrorist attack against a foreign country's embassy in Baku on the grounds of religious hostility. The detained individuals were in criminal contact with members of the ISIS terrorist organization's armed group "Wilayat Khorasan" and, acting as a coordinated group, obtained objects used as weapons for the purpose of a terrorist attack against a foreign state's embassy in the Republic of Azerbaijan and were detained approaching the area where the embassy is located."
Ilgar Guliyev, Amin Piriyev, and Elvin Alizade have been held criminally responsible under Articles 28, 214.2.1, 28, 214.2.3, and 28, 214.2.6 of the Criminal Code (preparation for terrorism on religious hostility grounds by a group of persons acting in concert, using objects used as weapons) and detained pending court decision.
Medianews.az contacted political analyst Khagani Jafarli to obtain information about the ISIS terrorist organization's "Wilayat Khorasan" armed group.
What kind of group is this? When and where was it established? What terrorist operations has it carried out? Have members of this group been arrested previously in Azerbaijan?
Responding to the site's questions, Kh. Jafarli said that in March 2024, the ISIS "Wilayat Khorasan" group carried out a terrorist attack at the Muslim Magomayev Concert Hall in the "Crocus City Hall" in Krasnogorsk city, part of Moscow region near Russia's capital Moscow: "This horrific terror showed that 'Wilayat Khorasan' had also included the post-Soviet space in its sphere of activity. Prior to that, this group mainly operated in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asia. In recent years, it has begun spreading to a wider geography. There are claims about its organization within Russia. There are even reports that the ISIS terrorist organization has created a separate 'Wilayat Caucasus' branch related to Russia and the South Caucasus. It should not be surprising that this group is starting to take root in Azerbaijan. Social networks are saturated with propaganda of a unified caliphate — 'Islamic Caliphate,' 'Turk-Islamic Caliphate'."
Kh. Jafarli emphasized that this propaganda is expected to certainly lead to operational actions: "We do not know exactly at what level Azerbaijan is fighting this very dangerous issue. In Azerbaijan's security doctrine and the strategic activities of its security agencies, combating this threat should be prioritized. Otherwise, we could face serious incidents. Especially due to Russia’s weakening, it is possible to predict the strengthening of the ISIS terrorist organization's 'Wilayat Caucasus' branch in the North Caucasus. Strict measures should also be taken against the 'Muslim Brotherhood' exported by Qatar to Turkic states via Turkey, including Azerbaijan. Because today, strong propaganda creates favorable conditions for the activity of ISIS and other terrorist organizations."
The terrorist attack at the Muslim Magomayev Concert Hall in "Crocus City Hall" occurred on March 22, 2024. During the coordinated attack, several armed criminals opened mass fire on the people gathered in the hall and used incendiary devices to set the venue on fire. The attack resulted in the death of 149 people, one person missing, and 609 injured. Responsibility for the terror was claimed by ISIS's "Wilayat Khorasan" armed group.
In total, 19 people have been arrested for the massacre in "Crocus City Hall." Four of them are accused of directly carrying out the crime, while the rest are accused of collaborating with them. The four suspects accused of directly carrying out the crime are citizens of Tajikistan. The trial, which began in summer 2025 at the military court in Moscow, is ongoing.
The owner of "Crocus City Hall" is Azerbaijani businessman Araz Agalarov, president of the "Crocus Group," living in Russia.
Naila Gasimova,
Medianews.az
