Head of administration of Azerbaijan's second largest city shot

Head of the administration of Ganja in Azerbaijan, Elmar Veliyev, is recovering after a shooting which took place on 3 July. Veliyev’s guard Gasym Shahbazov was also wounded in the assassination attempt. His condition is stable.

The shooter was arrested at the scene of the crime and identified as Yunis Safarov. The shooter and the official are known to have had a conflict some time ago. According to eyewitnesses, Safarov threatened Veliyev that he would shoot him. The cause of the conflict is still unknown. Safarov is a Russian citizen. He has been wanted since last year on charges of attacking a police officer.

The news caused a rather stormy reaction on social networks and the opposition media.

This is the first case of an assassination attempt on an Azerbaijani government official in almost 25 years.

Moreover, the victim does not have the best reputation among both Ganja residents and journalists. In March this year, Xalqxeber.az reported that Veliyev was insulting his subordinates as well as citizens attending public reception hours.