Azerbaijani officials unveil Iranian plot to assassinate rabbi

Shafaq News/ An officer in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force attempted to orchestrate the assassination of a prominent Jewish rabbi in Azerbaijan, security forces claimed.

The plan involved Georgian drug trafficker Agil Aslanov, who was recruited by Iranian operatives and offered $200,000 to kill Rabbi Shneor Segal, the officials said. The Quds Force officer reportedly provided Aslanov with Segal’s photo and instructions during a meeting in Iran, the Washington Post quoted Azeri security officials.

Azerbaijan’s State Security Service arrested Aslanov and his local accomplice in early January, officials added, revealing that the education center linked to the target was also under threat.

Iran and Azerbaijan have not responded to requests for comment.

In 2023, German prosecutors accused Iran of directing criminal groups to attack Jewish institutions. In March 2024, police in Peru arrested an Iranian and two locals for plotting to assassinate an Israeli national.

A federal jury in New York last month convicted two men of conspiring to kill Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad. Prosecutors said the men acted on orders from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and were promised $500,000.