Russia’s special task gang repatriated

The group raised concerns for Azerbaijan’s national security

By Azernews StaffMembers of a dangerous criminal gang arrested in Baku last week for suspiciously watching the President’s apartment were repatriated to Russia in the early hours of Tuesday.

They proved to have the maps of strategic installations in Baku and a detailed plan of President Aliyev's residence.

Rumors on the President’s security had been sweeping through Baku during the week due to the lack of thorough information on the developments by law enforcers.

The Ministry of National Security, the Prosecutor Office and the Interior Ministry of Azerbaijan issued a joint statement Tuesday, saying that the arrested 5 Russian nationals are workers of the Moscow-based Alfa-Altair security company.

They were charged with using counterfeited documents, as they introduced themselves as Russian Security Service agents when being detained. Under the agreement on legal assistance between Azerbaijan and Russia, the five, Ramiz Yusifov, Sergey Burov, Oleg Khramov, Viktor Klochkov, and Vitaliy Chernyshev, were repatriated to the Russian embassy in Baku.

The embassy said the arrested are not Security Service officials and their appearance outside the presidential apartment was because they didn't know the city well.

"If these pretend to be security agents, the Russian Prosecutor Office will tackle the case".

The findings had provoked concerns of those responsible for the country's national security to the extent that the Interior Minister and the Prosecutor General, who were in the apprehension site, handed in the case to the Ministry of National Security immediately.

Suspicious behavior

Two of the arrested were in a Tofas car, watching the President's apartment before they were snatched and brought to the Police Department of Narimanov district in Baku. After the detention the criminals named the other three accomplices, who were arrested on the same day. Law enforcers released scarce information on the arrest, including that the criminals came to Baku on April 5, stayed in the Inturist Hotel and rented a car in a local car rent service.

There were speculations that the group had been sent to Azerbaijan by Russia's Federal Security Service. Local media supported the supposition due to the unavailability of much data on the detention, as, they presumed, a tough reaction of the government would have soured bilateral relations with Russia.

Some newspapers suggested that a top ranking Russian official phoned his Azeri counterpart urging to immediately release the detainees.