WEB DESK
A gunman stormed Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran on Friday, killing the mission’s head of security in an attack Iran said was motivated by personal reasons but Baku labelled an act of “terrorism”.
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Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said “responsibility” for the shooting, which also wounded two embassy security guards, lies with Iran – with spokesperson Ayxan Hacizada telling media in his country a recent anti-Azerbaijani campaign in Iran had “encouraged the attack”.
Hacizada later told Turkey’s state broadcaster TRT Haber that embassy staff were “being evacuated from Iran”.
Leaked video footage from the embassy, widely shared on social media and published by Iranian media, shows two men parking a car and entering the building in eastern Tehran, before a speeding car approaches and crashes into the rear of their vehicle.
A man holding what appears to be a semi-automatic rifle is seen emerging from the second car and motioning to a security guard before forcing his way into the embassy.
Another unverified video apparently filmed inside the embassy shows two men entering and one of them opening the door in response to commotion outside, allowing a gunman to barge into the building and open fire.
