Azerbaijan arrests 39 in operation against Iran-linked network: Report

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Azerbaijan has arrested at least 39 people in an ongoing operation against a network linked with Iran, local media reported on Wednesday.

The suspects are believed to have been cooperating with Iranian intelligence and were involved in sabotage and propaganda activities, according to Azerbaijani media reports.

The operation against the network is being carried out by Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry, the reports said.

Azerbaijan’s parliament also announced on Wednesday the dissolution of a working group on inter-parliamentary relations with Iran.

Baku has taken these steps in the wake of last Friday’s armed attack at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran’s capital Tehran.

A gunman with a Kalashnikov rifle barged inside the building and opened fire, killing the embassy’s security chief and injuring two guards.

Azerbaijan has since evacuated the embassy staff and their family members from Tehran, while also advising its citizens against traveling to Iran.

On Wednesday, President Ilham Aliyev said Baku is “thoroughly investigating” the Tehran attack.

The attack “lasted for a considerable time” and Iranian authorities took “no serious measures” to stop it, he said.