Azerbaijan captures terrorists who planned attempt on president's life and terror attacks during Eurovision 2012

Azerbaijani National Security Ministry detained an armed criminal group which planned an attempt on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's life during his visit to the north-western region of the country, as well as sabotage and terror acts on the eve and during the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Trend cites the Ministry's Public Relations Centre as saying.

The aim of a dangerous transnational armed criminal group was to commit provocative terrorist acts, in individual groups on the eve and during the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, to organise explosions and armed attacks where massive loss of life would ensue, including in Hilton Baku and JW Marriot Hotel Absheron, as well as to commit major explosions in the Baku Crystal Hall gaining access through purchasing tickets by any means and at the National Flag Square.

To neutralize this dangerous transnational criminal armed group, which poses a serious threat to social and political life of Azerbaijan, for timely suppression of terrorist actions the National Security Ministry has conducted large-scale special operations in Baku, Ganja, Sumgait, as well as in Gakh, Zagatala, Sheki, Gusar, Absheron, Khachmaz and Shabran regions. In some cases, armed resistance by members of the group was suppressed, in particular Vugar Padarov was killed and most of the members of the armed group were disarmed.

It was revealed that in order to implement the plans of the international terrorist network to conduct a series of terrorist acts in Azerbaijan, to create panic among the population, ethnic and religious conflict, to disrupt the stability and damage the reputation of Azerbaijan Vugar Padarov, Samir Saniyev and Elmir Nuraliyev were instructed to act both jointly, and individually.

After committing these heinous acts of terrorism and creating atmosphere of chaos in the country members of the armed group had planned to take refuge in the mountain forests in the north of Azerbaijan in the previously prepared shelters. It was planned that members of the group would operate in conjunction with additional terrorist forces that were to come from Dagestan.

The ministry has so far detained 40 members of the armed criminal terrorist group, Trend informs.