AJC Praises Azerbaijan for Foiling Iran-Sponsored Attack on U.S., Israeli Embassies

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Mar 14, 2012, 12:54 ET

NEW YORK, March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC praised Azerbaijan for foiling a plot to attack the Israeli and U.S. embassies in Baku. It is the second time this year that terrorists connected to Iran were arrested for planning terror attacks in the country.

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"We are thankful that Azerbaijan is fully aware of and alert to the threat that neighboring Iran poses to the region, and is determined to block attempts by Tehran and its proxies to carry out terrorism on the streets of Baku," said AJC Executive Director David Harris.

Azerbaijan's National Security Ministry announced today the arrest of 22 Azeri citizens for cooperating with the Sepah, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. "On orders of the Sepah, they were to commit terrorist acts against the U.S., Israeli and other Western states' embassies and the embassies' employees," the ministry said.

Announcement of the arrests comes a month after Azerbaijan foiled an Iranian plot to kill two rabbis and the Israeli ambassador in Baku. That plot coincided with the Iranian-sponsored attempted attack on the Israeli embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia, and car bombing of an Israeli diplomatic vehicle in New Delhi, India.

An AJC leadership delegation has been in close touch with Azerbaijan officials and met with the country's president, Ilham Aliyev, on several occasions in Baku and Davos. At each meeting, AJC voiced appreciation for the country's strong relations with Israel and the U.S., as well as for the vibrant Jewish life that has been a hallmark of the country.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee