Azerbaijan to evacuate embassy in Iran on Sunday after deadly taking pictures

BAKU, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan will evacuate embassy workers and members of the family from Iran on Sunday, the international ministry stated, two days after a gunman shot useless a safety guard and wounded two different individuals in an assault Baku branded an “act of terrorism”.

Police in Tehran have stated that they had arrested a suspect and Iranian authorities condemned Friday’s incident, however stated the gunman appeared to have had a private, not a political, motive.

The incident got here amid elevated tensions between the neighbouring international locations over Iran’s remedy of its giant ethnic Azeri minority and over Azerbaijan’s choice this month to nominate its first ever ambassador to Israel.

After the assault, the Azeri international ministry stated it summoned Iran’s ambassador in Baku to demand justice and would evacuate embassy workers from Tehran. It gave no additional particulars, together with whether or not the embassy would proceed to operate.

Earlier, the ministry stated the taking pictures was the results of Tehran failing to heed its requires higher safety.

CCTV footage obtained by Reuters confirmed the attacker forcing his manner into the embassy constructing and taking pictures at two males earlier than a 3rd embassy worker grapples him away.

A gray-haired man recognized because the attacker was later proven on Iranian state TV saying he had acted to safe the discharge of his Azeri spouse who he believed was being held on the embassy.

A younger lady recognized as the person’s daughter stated her mom was in Azerbaijan.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi known as for “a complete investigation” of the incident and despatched his condolences to Azerbaijan and the useless man’s household, state media stated.

Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin;
modifying by Mark Heinrich

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