Baku: The court trial regarding the criminal case of Elshan Najafov, who was charged with preparing an assassination attempt on a state or public figure, has concluded, APA reports.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, at the trial held at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes, presided over by Judge Aytan Aliyeva, Elshan Najafov requested that the participants be removed from the courtroom before delivering his final statement. The court accepted this request based on deliberation, and the final statement phase of the process was held behind closed doors.

The verdict was then announced. Elshan Najafov has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and will serve his sentence in a high-security penal institution. Elshan Najafov was arrested in September 2023 during a special operation carried out by the State Security Service (SSS).

The charges against Elshan Najafov state that he, in cooperation with another Azerbaijani citizen residing in a foreign country, made preparations for a terrorist attack against foreign st
ate officials during their visit to Azerbaijan, as well as against state and public figures of Azerbaijan during a public event. The recordings of messages he sent to his collaborator, in which he expressed his determination regarding this matter, have been added to the case materials. The individual he was collaborating with stated that if Elshan Najafov were killed while carrying out the planned terrorist acts, he would be considered a “martyr.”

Since Elshan Najafov was exposed and arrested by SSS officers, he was unable to carry out the aforementioned terrorist acts. He was charged under the Criminal Code articles 28, 277 (preparation for the assassination of a state or public figure), 214-2 (calls for terrorism), 167-3.1 (preparation, possession, or distribution of extremist religious materials that incite or justify extremist activities), and 281.2 (open calls against the state).