Azerbaijan conducts mass arrests over ‘Iran-backed coup attempt’
Azerbaijani authorities have conducted mass arrests of people who they accuse of planning to take part in a coup on behalf of Iran to establish a religious state in the country. On Thursday, the Interior Ministry, State Security Service, and General Prosecutor’s Office released a joint statement about the ongoing operation. The roundup of Shia people in the country has stepped up since the shooting of MP Fazil Mustafa last Tuesday, with the number of people detained possibly in the hundreds.