Azerbaijani leader 'strongly' condemns 'act of terrorism' in Azerbaijan's Embassy in Tehran

By Ceyhun Alizade

ANKARA (AA) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday "strongly" condemned the "act of terrorism" in Azerbaijan's Embassy in Tehran, which left one embassy guard dead and two others wounded.

Aliyev demanded the "terrorist act" be investigated as soon as possible and the terrorists punished.

"Terrorist attack on diplomatic missions is unacceptable!" he said on Twitter.

The Azerbaijani leader also offered his deepest condolences to the family and relatives of Senior Lt. Orkhan Asgarov, who was "martyred" while protecting the embassy and its staff.

An armed assailant attacked Azerbaijan's Embassy in Tehran on Friday morning using an automatic weapon, officials said.

The incident took place at around 8.30 a.m. local time (0500GMT) when the armed man opened fire at the picket of embassy guards in northern Tehran, according to local sources.

The attacker was immediately arrested by security forces, Tehran's police chief Hossein Rahimi told media persons at the scene of the incident, confirming the death of one person.