A court in Azerbaijan heard explosive testimony this week in the case of 18-year-old Abdallah Aliyev, who is accused of planning a terrorist attack on a shul in the capital city of Baku under the influence of ISIS ideology.

Aliyev, a resident of Sumqayit, allegedly plotted the attack as part of a broader plan to carry out a series of deadly assaults motivated by religious extremism. Prosecutors say he was inspired by the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch, known as one of the group’s most dangerous and radical affiliates. According to testimony delivered at the Grave Crimes Court on Monday, Aliyev was arrested just as he and an accomplice were heading toward the shul with improvised weapons in hand.

Authorities say the young suspect had been communicating with a fellow extremist he met on Instagram in November 2024. The two later joined encrypted chat groups where Aliyev praised ISIS and discussed plans to launch an attack. Investigators allege he expressed a clear intent to commit violence, asking for help in obtaining flammable liquids, knives, Molotov cocktails, and other weapons. He planned to wear dark clothing and cover his face to conceal his identity during the attack.

According to one witness, Aliyev said, “I intend to carry out the attack at all costs. After that, when the time comes, I’ll blow up other places too. I want to die a martyr, and you’ll continue what I started.”

Aliyev and his associate were apprehended by Azerbaijan’s State Security Service as they approached the shul. A search revealed they were carrying masks, knives, and incendiary materials. Authorities later determined that Aliyev had already driven to the shul on December 28, 2024, intending to launch the attack but had retreated for reasons that remain unclear.

He now faces multiple charges under Azerbaijani law, including planning and committing a terrorist act, using improvised weapons for terrorism, acting out of religious hatred, and membership in a terrorist organization.

The court has scheduled the next hearing in Aliyev’s case for September 22.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)