Summary of the event

On the evening of 28 March, Azerbaijani MP Fazil Mustafa was attacked outside his home in Baku. The press service of the General Prosecutor's Office reported that a criminal case had been opened by the Prosecutor's Office on the grounds that MP Fazil Mustafa had been injured by gunfire in front of his house in the Sabunchu district of the capital.

On 31 March, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said preliminary investigations into the terrorist attack were pointing to Iran.

"Recently, threats and provocations have been made against Azerbaijan from the territory of Iran. Examples include the holding of military exercises by Iran along the borders of Azerbaijan, the conducting of military flights over the border, the issuing of anti-Azerbaijani statements by Iranian officials, the filming, even involving children, which took place near the Khudafarin Bridge, and the subsequent demonstration of threatening videos against Azerbaijan, and subsequent demonstration of threatening videos against Azerbaijan by Iranian security services such as the IRGC, the terrorist attack on the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iran and the initial investigation of the terrorist attack on the member of the Milli Majlis Fazil Mustafa leading to Iran," the MFA statement said.

The spokesman for the US Embassy in Azerbaijan said that the United States of America is deeply concerned about the attack on Azerbaijani MP Fazil Mustafa and wishes him a full and speedy recovery.

British Ambassador to Azerbaijan Fergus Auld wrote on his Twitter page that he was very saddened by the armed attack on the MP. "I strongly condemn this incident and wish him a speedy recovery," he added.

Ali Karimli, the leader of the Azerbaijan People's Front Party (APFP), said that armed criminals should be stopped from running around the country.

The leader of the REAL party, Ilgar Mammadov, strongly condemned the assassination attempt on Fazil Mustafa. "I hope that the representative of the authorities, the supporter of the president, will quickly find out the reason for the shooting and the organisers of this event, which will be carried out with high quality. No, if public opinion finds them, the perpetrators of this crime will achieve their goal more easily. Because sometimes the assassination of a politician is linked to his specific activities, and sometimes he becomes the target of an attack to shake up the situation in the country. Nothing is clear yet. There is a great need for a quick and high-quality investigation," Mammadov wrote on the Telegram channel.

According to the MP of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), Mahshur Mammadov, after the armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran on 27 January this year and several disruptive actions there, there is no other version: "Besides, 28 March is the National Security Service anniversary. The embassy of Azerbaijan is opened in Israel. Iran's hand is here and they continue their destructive actions here as usual".

Vahid Ahmadov, a member of the Azerbaijani parliament, said: "When did this happen? Azerbaijan is opening an embassy in Israel. Our foreign minister and MPs are also taking part in the opening of the embassy. The 28th of March was the professional holiday of the most trusted state security service. They are very selfless in this work, they work day and night to ensure the security of Azerbaijan. In other words, they chose a time to shoot Fazil Mustafa. Fazil Mustafa is a well-known social and political figure. He touches on certain religious issues in his speeches. Some countries do not like that. He expresses his opinion openly; he is a person who fights for the independence of Azerbaijan".  Ahmadov expressed his attitude towards those who believe that there was an Iranian factor behind the shooting of Fazil Mustafa: "I also mean the Iranian factor. To be clear, Iran and Russia have a real policy. It could also be Russia. There are enough Russian 'fifth columnists' in Azerbaijan. But Fazil Mustafa is a religious man with a great relationship with religion. He paid a lot of attention to this area and expressed his critical opinions. The issue of religion is the main concern of Iran's neighbours. I believe that the head of state and the law enforcement agencies will solve the problem in Azerbaijan and there will be no such serious problems. We have to ensure the safety of all our people. I repeat, there are 120 of us and I know that all of us are ready to die at any moment for the independence of Azerbaijan. There is no problem with that.