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Targets included the song contest venue and major hotels housingforeigners, the National Security Ministry said in a statementWednesday. Azerbaijan has in recent months reported being the target ofterrorist activities planned by groups with ties to al-Qaeda andIran, and this appears to be most extravagant alleged plot revealedto date. An oil-rich nation of 9 million people wedged between Russia andIran, Azerbaijan has nurtured close relations with the UnitedStates and played an active role in Western-led counter-terroristprograms. That policy has placed a strain on its ties with Iran,which hosts a sizable ethnic Azeri community. The statement Wednesday said other plots included plans for anassassination attempt on President Ilham Aliyev in April, as wellas attacks on religious pilgrimage sites and police stations. Officials said 40 people have been arrested. Weapons seizedincluded 13 assault rifles, one machine gun, 12 handguns, threerifles, 3,400 rounds of bullets, 62 hand grenades, and severalkilograms of explosives. The statement provided no details on when the arrests took place. The armed group set itself the aim of mounting terrorist attacksin several regions of Azerbaijan, creating a mood of powerlessnessand lawlessness, sowing panic, ethnic and religious enmity,disrupting the public peace and damaging Azerbaijan's internationalimage, the statement said. The Eurovision attack would have centred on the Baku Crystal Hall,where the singing competition concluded early Sunday, officialssaid. Other planned targets included Marriot and Hilton hotels inthe capital, Baku. At least one suspected plotter, 37-year-old Azerbaijani citizenVugar Padarov, and a security agent were killed during raids toshut down the terrorist group, the statement said. Mr. Padarov was identified in an April security statement as theleader of a group that had received religious training in Syria.Some of its members had weapons training with the Jihad Islamigroup in Pakistan and took part in fighting NATO-led troops inAfghanistan, the National Security Ministry said. In March, the ministry announced the arrests of 22 Azerbaijanicitizens it said had been hired by Iran to stage terror attacksagainst the U.S. and Israeli embassies as well as againstwestern-linked groups and companies. It said they had been trainedin Iran by the Revolutionary Guard. Earlier this year, it announced the arrest of several othersuspected terrorists allegedly working for Iran's secret services. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Beauty Machine Spare Parts , China Skin Rejuvenation Machine, and more. For more , please visit E-light IPL RF today!
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