A criminal case has been launched over a drone attack on civilian infrastructure in Nakhchivan, Press Service of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan said in a statement, APA reports.
It was noted that on March 5, an attack was carried out against civilian infrastructure facilities of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of the Republic of Azerbaijan using two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with remotely controlled explosive warheads launched from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Preliminary investigative actions established that one of the UAVs fell on the terminal building of the Nakhchivan International Airport, while the other landed near an educational institution located in the village of Shakarabad in Babek district.
As a result of the incident, significant damage was caused to civilian infrastructure, namely to the administrative building and operations of the Nakhchivan International Airport. In addition, since the airport services were intentionally and unlawfully disrupted, the civilian aircraft scheduled to operate flight No. 264 on the Nakhchivan–Baku route was forced to return to Baku while in the air for security reasons.
Furthermore, four civilians were injured in the incident:
Employees serving at Nakhchivan Airport:
- Reyhana Sabir gizi Valiyeva, born in 1986,
- Zulfugar Mammad oglu Zulfuqarli, born in 1996,
- Mehdi Matlab oglu Asgarov, born in 1996,
and a passenger waiting to board the aircraft:
- Asad Vidadi oglu Jafarov, born in 1998, sustained injuries of varying degrees.
The injured persons were provided with appropriate medical assistance and are currently continuing treatment under medical supervision in hospital.
In connection with the fact, a criminal case has been initiated by the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code, and the preliminary investigation has been entrusted to the Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
At present, employees of the prosecutor’s office, jointly with relevant state bodies, have inspected the scene, collected material evidence, taken initial testimonies from victims and witnesses, and numerous investigative actions are being carried out, including the appointment of relevant expert examinations.
In addition, technical investigations are being conducted regarding the origin of the UAVs and their control route.
Within the framework of the preliminary investigation, all circumstances of this attack carried out against the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan in violation of the norms and principles of international law will be objectively, fully, and comprehensively investigated, and necessary measures will be taken to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice in accordance with the legislation.
The Prosecutor General’s Office stated that targeting civilians and strategic infrastructure facilities constitutes a gross violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.
Necessary investigative and operational measures related to the criminal case are ongoing, and the public will be provided with additional information.
