Plot to attack Israel’s embassy in Baku uncovered
A planned terrorist attack on an embassy in Baku has been prevented, Azerbaijan’s security services have said, announcing the arrest of three Azerbaijani nationals suspected of preparing the assault.
According to an official statement by the State Security Service, the suspects had established criminal links with the Islamic State group and its affiliate, Wilayat Khorasan, and had obtained weapons and ammunition. They were detained during a special operation on the eve of the planned attack.
The statement did not specify which country’s embassy was targeted. However, Israeli sources say the intended target was Israel’s embassy in Azerbaijan.
A criminal case has been opened against the suspects, and an investigation is under way.
Operation details
According to the State Security Service’s preliminary investigation, the detained individuals had been radicalised on religious grounds and were preparing to carry out a terrorist attack against an embassy. The authorities released their identities:
- G.I., born in 2000, known in religious circles by the alias Abu Zar al-Muhajir
- P.A., born in 2005, alias Abdurashid
- E.E., born in 2005, alias Abdurrahman al-Azeri
Investigators say the suspects were in contact with the Islamic State group’s Khorasan affiliate, which operates mainly in Afghanistan, and were acting as part of a pre-formed group. They were detained during a special operation by the State Security Service as they attempted to approach the area around the embassy to carry out the attack.
Criminal proceedings have been opened against the suspects under relevant articles of the criminal code, including charges related to preparing acts of terrorism. A court has ordered that they be held in pre-trial detention.
Target: Israel’s embassy and the diplomatic context
The alleged plot came at a sensitive moment in relations between Israel and Azerbaijan. Just a day before the incident, on 26 January, Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar concluded an official visit to Baku.
On the same day, he met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, with discussions focusing on strengthening the two countries’ strategic partnership in the energy sector.
The visit also included talks on preparations for a joint business forum, which is expected to take place in the coming months.
Some security analysts say the timing of the alleged attack attempt, coinciding with the high-level diplomatic visit, is unlikely to have been accidental. In their view, the group may have been seeking to undermine the deepening partnership between Azerbaijan and Israel.
The role and motives of Islamic State Khorasan
In its statement, the State Security Service said the alleged motive behind the planned attack was “religious hostility”, adding that the suspects had joined the plot under the influence of radical religious ideology.
The Islamic State group’s Khorasan branch, also known as IS-K, is a terrorist network operating mainly in the Afghanistan–Pakistan region. However, as part of its pursuit of what it describes as global jihad, the group has also sought to target Israel and countries seen as its partners.
In recent years, IS-K has claimed responsibility for a number of major attacks in the region, including the bombing at Crocus City Hall near Moscow in 2024, which killed 145 people.
Azerbaijani authorities say they have previously uncovered plans by Islamic State supporters targeting Israeli and Jewish sites in the country. In December 2024, a man was detained in Baku and later accused of preparing an attack on a local Jewish synagogue using a Molotov cocktail, and of having links to IS-K. Last year, a court sentenced him to 13 years in prison.
Plot to attack Israel’s embassy in Baku uncovered
