Azerbaijan Arrests Three in ISISK Plot on Israeli Embassy

Azerbaijani security forces arrested three men on Tuesday accused of plotting an attack on the Israeli embassy in the capital, Baku, under directives from the Islamic State Khorasan affiliate, known as ISISK. The operation thwarted the plan just one day after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar in the city.

The State Security Service announced the arrests in a statement, detailing that the suspects had coordinated with ISISK members abroad, acquired weapons, and prepared to target a foreign diplomatic mission. Officials did not initially specify the embassy, but Israeli authorities later confirmed it was their facility. The three individuals, identified as one born in 2000 and two in 2005, face charges of preparing acts of terrorism motivated by religious hostility. An investigation into the plot continues, with authorities emphasizing the suspects' ties to the Afghanistan-based ISISK group.

The timing of the alleged plot raised immediate concerns, coming hours after Sa'ar's visit, during which he and Aliyev discussed broadening bilateral cooperation in areas including energy, defense, artificial intelligence, agriculture, water...