Azerbaijan claimed to have "exposed" Azerbaijanis who acted "under the control of the Iranian secret service."

The Azerbaijani State Security Service is conducting "a comprehensive investigation into the involvement of Azerbaijani citizens in a clandestine manner in military exercises outside the country, financing them in order to use them against the interests of state security."

"It was established that the leadership of the illegal armed formation under the guise of spreading religious and radical ideas was entrusted to Ibrahimbeyli Tohid Alim oghlu, Rovshan Elchin oghdu Askerov, Orkhan Kamran oghlu Mammadov, Hajiyev Elshad Elchin oglu (Akram Hajizade ) who were declared wanted in 2018 and are currently hiding in Iran.

During the past period, the members of the illegal armed formation were mainly persons previously convicted of various crimes, as well as those who considered themselves members of the organization, which they called the "Movement of Muslim Unity" (DMU).

Having travelled to Tehran via third countries, they were provided with cell phones and passports, instructed in the rules of conspiracy, given religious monikers, and then flown to Damascus with forged documents. In Syria the members of the group were trained in the use of firearms and combat tactics and were provided with various sums of money against receipt.

Investigation established that 19 citizens of Azerbaijan had participated in the illegal armed groups.

Numerous proofs of their participation in military trainings, secretly delivered to Azerbaijan books and video-recordings containing the materials propaganda of radical religious-extremist attitude against the secular state system of Azerbaijan were collected.

Huseynov Iskender Khani oglu, Haqverdiyev Tural Safar oglu, Shukurov Eltun Ali oglu and others were prosecuted and detained on a criminal case under Article 12.1 and 279.1 (participation in an armed formation abroad unauthorized by the legislation of Azerbaijan).

There were also revealed materials about giving different assignments to the group members by Ruhullah Akhundzadeh and other persons, who currently settled in Iran. Another member of Asadov group Orkhan Farman oghlu was arrested while attempting to commit a terrorist act in the territory of a third country.

The investigation also raised a strong suspicion that Fagan Sadreddin oglu Mammadov, who participated in the mentioned military exercises, organized the distribution of T-shirts with religious slogans, which were delivered to Azerbaijan in the car of the Iranian embassy, to the participants of the religious rallies planned in various regions of the country.

At present, comprehensive investigative measures are ongoing," the Azerbaijani State Security Service said in a report.