Person accused of joining radical group and attempting to start military struggle admits he called citizens to jihad

APA reports that judge Islam Neymanov presided over the process. Defendant Orkhan Alizadeh gave testimony. He did not agree to the points related to him in the indictment and said they met with the other defendants to speak about the virtues of Islam. Answering the prosecutor’s questions, Alizadeh said the accusations brought against them concerning armed jihad were groundless. He said he had invited his acquaintances to jihad in the way envisaged in Islam.

"I offered and promoted jihad against those opposing to Islam. I support struggle against the enemies of Islam in the world. The US is number one enemy of Islam," he said.

Public prosecutors and lawyers had a dispute with the defendants concerning jihad. Defendant Ramin Karimov’s lawyer Yaver Huseyn called the accusation "nonsense and groundless". The public prosecutors objected to his statement.

Orkhan Alizadeh said they had not have talks against Azerbaijan’s statehood, Constitution, or discussions for exploding any embassy.

Defendant Hajibala Huseynov said he had received religious education in Syria and Saudi Arabia. Huseynov did not agree to the accusation brought against him.

The hearing will continue in the second half of the day.

Kamran Asadov, Bakhtiyar Orujov, Farid Jabbarov, Elshan Mammadov, Kamran Babayev, Samir Mehbaliyev, Terlan Karimov, Edgar Aliyev, Ramil Karimov, Shirvani Babayev, Samir Aliyev, Yalchin Maharramov, Orkhan ALizadeh, Hajibala Huseynov, Azer Ibadov, Shahriyar Mehraliyev, Ramin Jalilov, Rovshan Abdulaliyev, Ilkin Ismayilov and Vugar Aliyev are accused of setting up a radical religious group, attempting to start military struggle, attacking on LUKoil petrol station in Baku, preparing terror attack on the U.S. and UK embassies in Azerbaijan.

/APA/