Extremist group planning provocations and kidnappings arrested

An extremist group planning provocations and kidnappings has been exposed, Azernews reports, citing the State Security Service (SSS).

SSS noted that comprehensive operational and investigative measures revealed that Azerbaijani citizens - Fakhraddin Shahmurov (born in 1984), Jalal Muradov (born in 1960), Kamran Babayev (born in 1998), and others - conspired to create a criminal organization aimed at committing serious and particularly serious crimes against the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan. They organized secret meetings and various closed groups on social networks to prepare for provocations against state institutions.

It was determined that during a secret meeting involving a foreign national, a flag for the criminal organization was prepared, and Fakhraddin Shahmurov was appointed to lead the planning and execution of crimes for the organization's goals.

Fakhraddin Shahmurov, along with other members of the criminal group, planned to seize a customs post located at the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan, take employees and other individuals hostage to advance the criminal organization's demands, and harm the country's defense capabilities and economic security. The group's illegal activities were thwarted through the measures taken.

Fakhraddin Shahmurov has been charged under Articles 28.282.2 (preparation for provocation by an organized group), 28.215.3 (preparation for taking hostages), 218.1 (creation of a criminal organization), and 281.2 (dissemination of materials containing calls against the state) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Jalal Muradov and Kamran Babayev have also been charged under Article 281.2 and other articles, and additional individuals have been involved in the investigation.

Currently, comprehensive investigations into the criminal case are ongoing.