Group Leaders Sought by Azerbaijan “Arrested” in Iran

According to Azerbaijani media reports, two individuals named Tohid Ebrahim Beigli and Orkhan Mamedov, the leaders of a group called "Hosseiniun, the Islamic Resistance Movement of Azerbaijan," were arrested in the north-eastern Iranian city of Qom nearly a week ago.

While some in Iran, such as member of parliament Ahmad Naderi, protested the reported arrest of the two Azerbaijani citizens, there has been no official confirmation of the arrests.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly demanded the extradition of their opponents who have fled to Iran after committing sabotage actions in the country, demands that have systematically been ignored by Tehran.

In April 2021, President Ilham Aliyev accused Tehran of supporting Azerbaijan's opposition and demanded the extradition of 20 Azerbaijanis who sought refuge in Iran after being involved in a deadly attack on police. None of them have been extradited.

Baku and Tehran have often had strained relations, with Azerbaijan accusing the Islamic Republic of trying to destabilize the country. Azerbaijan also criticizes Iran for allegedly backing Armenia in the long-standing conflict over Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.

In turn, Tehran has long accused Baku of fueling separatist sentiments among its sizeable ethnic Azeri minority. The Islamic Republic also fears that Azerbaijani territory could be used for a possible attack against Iran by Israel.

Who are Ebrahim Beigli and Mamedov

Hosseiniun is a group that was created with the support of the Islamic Republic. Its leader is Ebrahim Beigli.

In late 2015, Ebrahim Beigli formed the "Hosseiniun Brigade" (Hosseinchiler) with 14 Azerbaijani students who were studying in Qom and Mashhad.

The aim of the group was to fight against the ISIS extremist group in Syria and prepare for an armed conflict in Azerbaijan.

Ebrahim Beigli, who was educated in religious schools of Iran since his childhood, returned to Azerbaijan to promote the Shia discourse. Due to his radical ideas, he left Azerbaijan in 2009 and settled in Iran with his family. 

In Iran, Ebrahim Bigli sent young Azerbaijani refugees to Hashd al-Shaabi battalions to train before their deployment in Syria and Iraq.

Mamedov has been living in Iran for many years and was reportedly the translator of Qassem Suleimani, the late commander of the Revolution Guards’ expeditionary Quds Force. 

According to Azerbaijani media, Ebrahim Beigli and Mamedov are accused of creating disturbances in Azerbaijan, of sending spies to the country and of conducting subversive activities.

According to Hosseiniun member Akram Hajizadeh, the arrest of Ebrahim Beigli and Mamedov was made in response to an Azerbaijani request sent through the international police body Interpol.

“Imprisonment or deportation is not up for discussion, and the situation will be clarified. The two men will be released if proven innocent,” he said in an interview with Azerbaijani media.

Hajizadeh said that Iranian media are not sharing information on the arrests because the case remains under investigation.

Both Ebrahim Beigli and Mamedov have recently called for the establishment of a religious government in Azerbaijan, adding to tensions between the two neighboring countries.

Illegal Religious, Armed Groups in Azerbaijan

The Islamic Republic has used various strategies to exert its influence in Azerbaijan, including by allowing Azerbaijani students to study for free in seminaries in Iran and by sending clerics to Azerbaijan.

The Islamic Republic has also provided credits for pro-Islamic Republic organizations and launched an Azerbaijani-Turkish website to promote the Shia beliefs, among other things.

The "Islamic Party of Azerbaijan" was established after the independence of the country in 1991 to promote the Islamic Revolution with the help of Tehran. Azerbaijani authorities dissolved the party four years later.

The Quds Force has been active in Azerbaijan since the early 1990s. 

In 1993, former members of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan created "Hezbollah Azerbaijan," using weapons and financial resources provided by the Islamic Republic. 

Two years later, they attempted to attack the US and Israeli embassies by creating a group called "Jishullah” (“Army of God” in English).

According to the newspaper Mosavat, the intelligence agencies of the Islamic Republic are secretly promoting religious extremist ideas in Azerbaijan to encourage citizens to participate in military exercises abroad and finance their activities.

Azerbaijan’s Reactions

Amid heightened tensions between Azerbaijan and its southern neighbor, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on April 6 the expulsion of four employees of the Iranian embassy in Baku. 

The move came after Azerbaijani security forces arrested in January seven men allegedly linked to Iran’s secret services.

In November last year, Azerbaijani authorities announced they had dismantled a five-person spy network linked to the Islamic Republic.

Earlier in November, they said an operation was carried out against an illegal armed group that was established under the supervision of the intelligence forces of the Islamic Republic.