31 years on: Baku metro blast that killed 14 remembered

On this day 31 years ago, a deadly bombing struck the Baku Metro, killing 14 people and injuring 49 others.

The attack, which occurred on March 19, 1994, was later attributed to Armenian intelligence services and members of the separatist group Sadval, according to court findings, Caliber.Az reports.

The explosion took place at 13:00 at the 20 Yanvar (January) metro station when a time-controlled improvised bomb detonated in the front carriage of a train as it stopped at the platform. Among those killed was prominent Azerbaijani jazz musician and People's Artist of Azerbaijan, Rafig Babayev. The perpetrator, Oktay Gurbanov, also died in the blast.

Investigations revealed that the attack was part of a broader plan to carry out further bombings in Baku, including at the Nizami cinema, the Republic Palace (now the Heydar Aliyev Palace), and the Baku Lamp Factory. Authorities established that Sadval members had received training in Armenia and maintained links with the country’s intelligence agencies.

A total of 30 members of Sadval, accused of carrying out the metro bombing and undergoing special training in Armenia for acts of terrorism and sabotage, were brought to justice.

The names of those killed in the terrorist attack on March 19, 1994 are immortalized at the 20 Yanvar metro station.

By Aghakazim Guliyev