Azerbaijan arrests citizens charged with fighting in Syria Statement by State Security Service

The State Security Service has arrested Azerbaijani nationals on charges of being members of illegal armed groups outside Azerbaijan.

As a result of the investigations conducted by the State Security Service, the Azerbaijani citizens specially trained in camps, who have illegally entered into the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic as a group in order to participate in armed conflicts, carrying out terrorist acts outside the country, conducted on the grounds of religious hatred, religious radicalism and religious fanaticism, were identified and put on the international wanted list, Caliber.Az reports per the service’s official website on June 22.

The security agency stressed that during the investigation, the hiding places of the 13 Azerbaijani citizens that had committed the above-mentioned criminal actions - Shamil Abdullayev Tohud oglu, Murad Agamatov Alibala oglu, Murad Guliyev Firudin oglu, Farhad Rustamov Isa oglu, Sultan Sultanov Idris oglu, Najmeddin Huseynov Nazir oglu, Hikmet Mahmudov Sahib oglu, Mais Aliyev Telman oglu, Ismail Ismailov Aydin oglu, Shahriyar Babayev Rahim oglu, Haji Muradov Arif oglu, Alovsar Bakhyshov Alisafa oglu and Intigam Asadov Shirin oglu - were determined.

Within the framework of the mutual legal assistance procedure on international search, they were detained and brought to Azerbaijan.

The mentioned persons have been brought to criminal responsibility as accused under Article 283-1.3 (setting up permanent groups with the purpose of participation in armed conflicts outside the Republic of Azerbaijan, participation in these groups, drills or armed conflicts) of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code.

The court appointed a preventive measure in the form of custodial placement.

At present, comprehensive investigative and operational measures are being carried out.