Azerbaijani Security Thwarts Assassination Plot

Azerbaijan's State Security Service (SSS) successfully thwarted a terrorist plot aimed at assassinating a prominent member of the Jewish community in the country, arresting two suspects: Georgian national Agil Aslanov and Azerbaijani national Jeyhun Ismayilov. Aslanov, a drug trafficker, was allegedly recruited by operatives believed to be from Iran, who offered him $200,000 for the assassination. He received an initial payment of $2,000 to gather intelligence on the target, which included monitoring the individual’s movements and sending location details to his handlers via a messaging app. The SSS acted on intelligence and detained the suspects before the attack could be executed, subsequently opening a criminal case against them. Community leaders expressed concerns about Iranian involvement, particularly the role of the Revolutionary Guard Corps in orchestrating such plots. The suspects remain in custody as the investigation continues.