Following extensive counter-intelligence operations, the State Security Service of Azerbaijan has neutralized a series of terror plots and espionage activities organized by IRGC/SEPAH (the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps).
AzVision.az reports that the planned attacks aimed to incite public panic and undermine Azerbaijan’s international reputation. The primary targets included:
- The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline (a strategic energy artery).
- The Israeli Embassy in Baku.
- The Ashkenazi Synagogue and leadership of the Mountain Jews Religious Community.
Authorities confirmed that three explosive devices were successfully smuggled into the country but were intercepted and neutralized before they could be transferred to their intended handlers.
Iranian nationals Behnam Sahibali Rustamzada and Yaser Rahim Zandkian allegedly conspired with local resident Tarkhan Tarlan oglu Guliyev to bring explosives across the border. Acting on Zandkian’s instructions, a container was placed near the Shikhov settlement. Upon inspection, it was found to contain 7.73 kg of "C-4" explosives, a high-grade military substance used for demolishing concrete structures.
Surveillance footage captured Tarkhan Guliyev and Nijat Zaman oglu Agayev retrieving the container and hiding it in Baku’s Nasimi district.
A second smuggling attempt was led by Hosein Savar Saber Azarundbileh, an Iranian citizen with direct ties to SEPAH. This shipment contained two remote-controlled C-4 explosive devices. Local collaborator Asad Tofig oglu Abdullayev was caught on covert DTX cameras retrieving the package from a secret drop point in the Shikhlar settlement.
Investigations revealed that the Iranian nationals involved in these terror plots are also heavily involved in international drug trafficking, highlighting a direct link between organized crime and the IRGC.
In a separate plot, Iranian national Sajjad Moghadam Sati Sofi Evad Sheikhzadeh offered a $50,000 USD bounty to find an operative willing to plant an explosive device under a bridge in the Sangachal settlement. Furthermore, Sheikhzadeh reportedly received specific directives from SEPAH to plan assassinations against Jewish residents in Azerbaijan.
Following several failed attempts where handlers lost contact with their recruits, Iranian national Hafez Tavassoli coordinated the delivery of a new device. An explosive weighing 1,280 grams was discovered near the Baku Shipyard in the Garadagh district. This device was designed with a lethal radius of 250–300 meters.
Tavassoli utilized Khadija Zakir qizi Agayeva to manage the logistics, instructing her to retrieve the package and hide it in the Masazir settlement. The package was eventually picked up by Elvin Bahruz oglu Ahmadov on a motorcycle and hidden at his residence in the Bilajari settlement under the orders of Sajjad Sheikhzadeh.
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