An Iranian plot to murder the Chabad rabbi in Azerbaijan has foiled

A recent Washington Post report revealed that Iranian agents tried to murder the rabbi Shneor SegalThe emissary of Chabad and the chief rabbi of the Ashkénaze community in Bakou, Azerbaijan. The intrigue, orchestrated by Iranian Quds force, involved the recruitment of local criminals to carry out the attack. However, the Azerbaijani security forces managed to thwart the attempt and stop the suspects before being able to act.

According to Western security officials and the Middle East, an Iranian officer met Agil Aslanov, a known drug trafficker from Georgia, and offered him $ 200,000 to assassinate Rabbi Segal. Aslanov, with a local accomplice, Jeyhun Ismayilov, began to monitor the movements of the rabbi, collecting information on his residence and his workplace. Their activities were intercepted by the Security Service of the State of Azerbaijan, which led to their arrest in January.

The plot in the foil also included a plan to attack a Jewish educational center in Baku. Azerbaijani authorities have charged Aslanov and Ismayilov to plot to commit a terrorist act. The Rabbi Segal, addressing the Washington Post, said that he had only learned the intrigue of media reports and reassured that he feels safe in Azerbaijan. “We live here peacefully. I walk in the streets here, and there is no fear,” he said.

This attempt is part of a wider diagram of Iran targeting personalities and Jewish institutions around the world, often using criminal networks to maintain a plausible denial. Security officials noted an increase in these attacks after October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks Israel. Similar plots to support Iran have been discovered in Europe and South America, further emphasizing the worldwide nature of this threat.

With his wife Chava, the Rabbi Segal is the main emissary of Chabad in Bakou, playing a central role in the rebirth of the local Jewish community and his spiritual and community life. With unshakable dedication, the Rabbi Segal directs the Jewish school network “or an avner” of the FJC in Azerbaijan, as well as numerous informal educational initiatives, guaranteeing the continuity of education and Jewish values ​​for future generations.

For more information on Chabad and the Jewish community in Baku, click here.