VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKB #0779/01 2311211
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 181211Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY BAKU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5850
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 2955
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 1061
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY

S E C R E T BAKU 000779 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EUR/CARC; FOR DS/IP/EUR AND ITA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KIRF ASAC AJ
SUBJECT: AZERBAIJANI SUNNI MOSQUE BOMBED 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Donald Lu for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  An unknown assailant(s) attacked the most 
popular Sunni mosque in Baku on August 17 during prayers, 
killing three and wounding approximately eight individuals at 
the Abu Bakr mosque.  The assailant used two grenades, 
according to local press.  This level of attack against a 
mosque is unprecedented in Azerbaijan.  There is no hard 
information on who was responsible for the attack, but one 
local Islamic commentator suggested three potential 
attackers:  an Iranian surrogate, a local Shia jamiat, or one 
of the radical splinter groups that have left the mosque 
because they perceive that the head imam is an infidel.  End 
Summary. 
 
Preliminary Facts 
----------------- 
 
¶2.  (S) On August 17 at approximately 21:00, an unknown 
assailant or assailants launched an attack against the Abu 
Bakr mosque in Baku.  There are only fragmentary details on 
the operation in local press.  RSO and GRPO are reaching out 
to contacts within the Ministry of National Security (MNS) 
and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) for more 
information. 
 
¶3.  (C) According to reports from Trend News and www.day.az, 
an unknown person broke one of the mosque's windows and threw 
two hand grenades through the hole.  The attack occurred 
during a prayer time; three people were killed and eight 
wounded.  The mosque's imam Ganimet Suleymanov was lightly 
wounded during the attack.  The assailant fled the scene of 
the crime; there is no indication the attacker has been 
apprehended.  In an early indication that the GOAJ is taking 
the case seriously, the heads of the MIA and MNS were on-hand 
after the attack, overseeing the preliminary investigation. 
 
¶4.  (C) A local Islamic website (www.azerislam.az) carried 
several photos of the attack, which show a hole in the 
mosque's window and a pool of blood on the floor.  A youtube 
video of the mosque's interior is also available online 
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=1 wksvdz8rc).  The 30-second video 
scans damaged sections of the mosque's inner wall. 
 
Unknown Attacker 
---------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) At this point, local contacts have no additional 
information about who was behind the attack.  Baku State 
University professor and Islamic expert Altay Geyushev told 
us that many actors could be behind the attack, but at this 
early stage, one can only theorize about who is responsible. 
Geyushev laid out three potential scenarios.  First, an 
Iranian-backed surrogate could have sought to stir 
inter-religious tensions by attacking one of Azerbaijan's key 
symbolic Sunni mosques.  Second, a local Shia jamiat could 
have attacked Abu Bakr mosque in part to assert Azerbaijan's 
Shia identity.  Finally, a splinter group from the Abu Bakr 
mosque could be behind the attack to lash out at the mosque's 
leadership and attendees who they perceive as infidels.  Anar 
Yusufzade -- a young Sunni Muslim who studied theology in the 
United States and Malaysia and sometimes prays at Abu Bakr -- 
told us it is impossible at this point to discern who is 
behind the attack.  Yusufzade was confident the GOAJ would 
vigorously pursue the case because of the GOAJ's specific 
interest in uprooting terrorism and its broader interest in 
maintaining good relations between Azerbaijan's Shia and 
Sunni communities. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6.  (C)  The Embassy notes that Abu Bakr mosque is a key 
symbol in Azerbaijan's Sunni landscape; it is one of or the 
most well-attended Sunni mosques in Baku.  (Several thousand 
probably attend the mosque for Friday prayers, but there 
reportedly were only up to a few hundred praying at the 
mosque during the attack.)  There has never been an attack on 
an Azerbaijani mosque of this magnitude. 
 
¶7.  C) The mosque is widely perceived by the general public 
as the central Wahabbi or Salafist mosque in Baku.  It was 
constructed in 1997 with the assistance of the Azerbaijani 
branch of the Kuwaiti Society of the Revival of Islamic 
Heritage.  The mosque's chief imam, Ganimet Suleymanov, is a 
young, charismatic cleric who studied at Saudi Arabia's World 
Islamic University of Medina.  The mosque was temporarily 
closed down and re-opened in 2001.  Several waves of radical 
splinter groups have left the mosque, accusing Suleymanov of 
colluding with the government or watering down his message. 
These individuals refer to themselves as "khavarich" (those 
that go out or leave).  There is a widespread perception that 
while Suleymanov is popular and theologically well-educated, 
he cut a deal with the GOAJ, as many local contacts report 
that it would be impossible for an openly anti-GOAJ and 
anti-secular mosque to keep its doors open.  The Embassy 
believes it is very plausible that Iran or a khavarich 
network have launched the attack. 
 
¶8.  (C) The majority of Azerbaijanis know little about the 
differences separating Sunnis from Shias.  Most Azerbaijanis 
perceive that Azerbaijan is a rare reservoir of 
interconfessional cooperation, where Shia and Sunni Muslims 
can pray in the same mosque.  Many Azerbaijanis instinctively 
are afraid of Salafis or Wahabbis derogatorily referring to 
them as "sakkalilar" (bearded people), "garasakkalilar 
(black-bearded people) or jesting at Wahabbis preference for 
wearing pants that stop above their ankles.  Among 
non-religious and practicing Azerbaijanis alike, the attack 
will raise questions about the perception of Azerbaijan as a 
country of inter-confessional cooperation.  The Embassy also 
notes that alongside the slow, but steady growth of Islam 
among Azerbaijanis, there is an increasing understanding of 
the differences between Shia and Sunnis.  Local contacts 
report that as part of this process, there have been a 
growing number of non-violent debates -- often focusing on 
religious rituals -- among young, religious Sunnis and Shias. 
 
LU