Azerbaijan Thwarts Terror Attack Against Israel, Jewish Targets

HAARETZ.com ^ | Published 01:48 23.01.12Latest update 01:48 23.01.12 | By Eli Shvidler

[Cindy]

"Azerbaijan thwarts terror attack against Israeli, Jewish targets

Security official in Baku links Iran to planned operation; three men detained."

SNIPPET: "Three men were detained last week after planning to attack two Israelis employed by a Jewish school in Baku, the Azerbaijan Ministry of National Security has revealed. Meanwhile, an Azeri commentator considered close to the republic's president has launched a scathing indictment of Iran.

The Azeri ministry said it had arrested a cell that planned to "kill public activists," before it became apparent that the intended victims were two Israeli Chabad emissaries, a rabbi and a teacher employed by the "Chabad Or Avner" Jewish school in Baku. The ministry said that the three men, named as Rasim Aliyev, Ali Huseynov and Balaqardash Dadashov, received smuggled arms and equipment from Iranian agents."

[Cindy]

A Look at Iran
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

[AuH2ORepublican]

It is heartening to hear about a Muslim country doing this. May I presume that Azerbaijan is Sunni Muslim and has no love for Iran-backed Shi’ites?

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

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[CCGuy]

No they are mostly Shia, but most Arabs often see Iranians as Persians and most Arabs hate and distrust the Persians.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Azeris aren’t Arabs, though. There must be something else going on here.

[RitchieAprile]

Azeris are a Turkic people.

[darrellmaurina]

6 posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 9:50:03 AM by AuH2ORepublican: “Azeris aren’t Arabs, though. There must be something else going on here.”

From reading articles several years ago in the New York Times, I believe I remember that this school was kept open by the personal intervention of a powerful Israeli diamond merchant, originally from one of the now-independent nations of the former Soviet Union, who has direct ties to the Azerbaijan government. The government wanted to shut down the Madrasas and tried to close all private religious schools; the Jewish school stayed open and the radical Madrasas closed.

That's not good domestic politics if you're a Muslim leader.

In other words, this terror plot may have been an effort by the radical Islamofascists to embarrass the Azerbaijani government for personal ties to key Israeli business leaders. Either way the terrorists win: If the government protects the Israelis they get criticized for being un-Islamic, and if they fail to protect the Israelis they face the wrath of Israel.

I'm going from memory here. Others may be able to fill in details.

[rmlew]

Ethnic Azeris are Oghuzz Turks who settled Arran, similar to the Oghuzz Turks who conquered the Byzantine Empire, creating the Ottoman Empire. They are Shi'ites and most live in Iran. Azerbaijan is the area of northern Arran in the Caucuses conquered by Russia.
Iran is actually Shi'ite because the modern state was created by the Sefavid dynasty, which have been Azeri. The Sefavids chose Twelver Shi'ite Islam because it allowed them to run an empire without having to be subordinate to the Caliphs, who were also the Ottoman Sultans.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Cindy.