One killed in armed attack on Azerbaijan embassy in Iran

A guard has been killed in an armed attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Iran’s capital Tehran, the country’s foreign ministry has said.

“The attacker broke through the guard post, killing the head of security with a Kalashnikov assault rifle,” it said.

Friday’s attack has also injured two people, the ministry added. An investigation has been launched.

Video shared on social media showed what appeared to be broken glass and damage to a door inside the embassy building.

Police in Tehran said they have arrested a suspect and are investigating the motive behind the attack.

The suspect entered the embassy with two young children and may have been motivated by “personal issues”, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing the police chief.

Iran, home to millions of ethnic Azerbaijanis, has long accused Baku of fomenting separatist sentiments in its territory.

Relations between Baku and Tehran have been traditionally sour, as Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan is a close ally of Iran’s historical rival Turkey.

Iran is also suspicious of Azerbaijan’s military cooperation with Israel – a major arms supplier to Baku – saying Tel Aviv could potentially use Azerbaijani territory as a bridgehead against Iran.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies