Azerbaijan State Oil Academy shootings
Encyclopedia
The Azerbaijan State Oil Academy shooting (Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...

: Azərbaycan Dövlət Neft Akademiyasında terror hadisəsi) occurred on April 30, 2009 at the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy (ASOA), a public university in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...

. 12 people were killed (students and staff members including the Deputy Principal of the institution) by an armed assailant and several others were wounded. A joint statement by the Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

 Interior Ministry and Prosecutor General's Office identified the perpetrator as 29-year-old Farda Gadirov, a Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

 citizen of Azerbaijani descent. During investigation by Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan the involvement of Georgian citizen of Armenian descent Mardun Gumashyan was published and is wanted by Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...

.

Two buses of special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...

 had arrived at the scene. According to Ehsan Zahidov, a spokesman for Interior Ministry, the special troops conducted an operation while people reportedly having been held hostage were released. Three cartridge belts
Belt (firearm)
A belt or ammunition belt is a device used to retain and feed cartridges into a firearm. Belts and the associated feed systems are typically employed to feed machine guns or other automatic weapons...

 with capacity of forty and seventy one bullets along with two magazines were taken from Gadirov's body.

The spree

Gadirov attacked the second building of the ASOA. First he killed a security guard and a cleaner as he entered the building, before opening fire on students and lecturers. Then while climbing from the first floor to the sixth, he shot people indiscriminately mainly in the head along the way. A witness said one student had tried to stop him but was also shot in the head. A witness reported seeing two gunmen. Terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...

 was suspected. The gunman barricaded himself in the Academy and police cordoned off the building. 12 people were killed and 13 wounded. Gadirov then shot himself, when he saw the police were approaching. Police and paramedics soon arrived on the scene. The armed police cordoned off the building. All major routes to the university were blocked. Bodies were found all over the building. The injured were taken to ambulances stationed outside and evacuated to hospital. Most were soon in stable condition, but some were in critical condition and undergoing surgery. All students were evacuated and sent home.

However doubts over several details were expressed. Azeri military expert Uzeyir Jafarov said it is quite obscure to him the inexperienced assailant could kill and injure so many persons with a Makarov pistol. Jafarov outlined, that Gadirov was not a military person, but a civilian.

Victims

According to Azeri Health Ministry, thirteen people were killed and ten wounded. Among wounded were two nationals of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

 (Moustafa Mohammad, Amrouh Seyid Ahmad) and one of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

 (Daas Muawiya). Three of the wounded were discharged from hospital shortly after the shooting.

A total of thirteen people were killed in the incident:
  • Emin Abdullayev, 20, student
  • Ramiz Abdullayev, 69, Deputy Principal of ASOA and Chairman of the Faculty of Oil and Gas Production
  • Jeyhun Aslanov, 21, student
  • Tamella Azizova, 58, lecturer and researcher
  • Ruslan Babashov, 19, student
  • Ayaz Baghirov, 21, student
  • Yusif Bandaliyev, 20, student
  • Ayna Gurbanova, 52, cafeteria worker
  • Savalan Jabbarov, 22, student
  • Taleh Mammadov, 21, student
  • Shafa Mammadova, 31, laboratory assistant
  • Majnun Vahidov, 63, associate professor, playwright and chess composer
    Chess composer
    A chess composer is a person who creates endgame studies or chess problems. He usually specializes in a particular genre, e.g. endgame studies, twomovers, threemovers, moremovers, helpmates, selfmates, fairy problems...

  • Farda Gadirov, 28, gunman


The psychological aid was launched in Clinic Psychiatric Hospital #2, Neuropsychic Hospital and Children’s Neuropsychic Hospital. One thousand candles are planned to light in front of the university building in memory of the victims. The blood donation
Blood donation
A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions or made into medications by a process called fractionation....

 took place in Azerbaijani regions at initiative of the Health Ministry. A donation, held in Saatli
Saatli
Saatlı may refer to:*Saatly Rayon, Azerbaijan*Saatlı , capital of Saatly Rayon*Saatlı, Barda, Azerbaijan...

, involved 230 people.

Investigation

The criminal case was launched under article 120.2.2 (deliberate murder committed from hooligan prompting), 120.2.4 (deliberate murder committed with special cruelty or endangering the public), 120.2.7 (deliberate murder of two or more persons), article 29 (attempt to murder), article 228.1 (illegal purchase, transfer, selling, storage, transportation or carrying of fire-arms, accessories to it, supplies (except for the smooth-bore hunting weapon and ammunition to it), explosives) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. According to the spokesman for the Prosecutor General Eldar Sultanov, Shirhan Nadir oglu Aliyev, a fellow-villager of Gadirov, was detained as a suspect. The criminal case launched against Farda Gadirov was dropped because of his suicide. According to presidential
President of Azerbaijan
The country of Azerbaijan is a presidential republic, with the President of Azerbaijan as the head of state, and the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan as head of government...

 order, direct financial assistances amounting to 30,000 manats
Azerbaijani manat
The Manat is the currency of Azerbaijan. It is subdivided into 100 qəpik. The word manat is borrowed from "moneta" which is pronounced as "maneta"...

 were scheduled to be rendered to the families of killed persons, and 15,000 to the wounded from the president’s reserve fund.

The parliament
National Assembly of Azerbaijan
The National Assembly , also transliterated as Milli Majlis is the legislative branch of government in Azerbaijan. The unicameral National Assembly has 125 deputies: previously 100 members were elected for five-year terms in single-seat constituencies and 25 were members elected by proportional...

's Standing Human Rights Commission chair Rabiyyat Aslanova said that security must be increased in postsecondary institutions, but there is no need to amend any law to up security in them: "Higher schools have own regulations. The issue must be solved under the regulations". Aslanova said that the cameras must be installed at the entrance to universities. MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 Fazil Mustafa told that it is impossible to check everybody, but serious dangers can be prevented.

A morning ceremony began on Friday. The MPs, professors and students of ASOA, as well as the students of other country's universities, and the members of youth organizations attended the ceremony, which started early morning and continued until the night. The participants laid red carnations and lit candles at the entrance and stairs of the Academy. The Irali Public Union joined the event with the slogan “No terror!”. Roughly 2,000 students marched in Baku that day. A mourning procession was also held by Azeri Americans in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

.

Subsequently a Georgian citizen of Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....

 origin Mardun Gumashyan was charged as the mastermind of the shooting. Gumashyan is wanted by Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...

. As stated in the indictment, Gumashyan was born in Georgian region of Marneuli
Marneuli
Marneuli is a small city in the Kvemo Kartli region of southern Georgia and administrative center of Marneuli District that borders neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia.-Population:...

 in 1951. He founded a criminal group, which embraced Farda Gadirov, Javidan Amirov, Nadir Aliyev and Najaf Suleymanov. Gumashyan then struck a bargain with them to commit a terrorist attack. He offered them $50,000, paying $5,000 to Gadirov, who purchased a pistol and practiced to shoot. The terrorist group arrived in Baku in March 2009. The court hearing has been scheduled for April 21, 2010.

Perpetrator

Farda Gadirov or Farda Asad oglu Gadirov (Azeri
Azerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...

: Fərda Qədirov; ); (born December 8, 1980 – April 30, 2009) was the Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

 spree killer
Spree killer
A spree killer is someone who embarks on a murderous assault on two or more victims in a short time in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders."-Definition:According to the...

 of Azerbaijani descent involved in a university rampage
Spree killer
A spree killer is someone who embarks on a murderous assault on two or more victims in a short time in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders."-Definition:According to the...

. He injured ten and killed twelve people, then committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.

Farda Gadirov was born in the village of Dashtapa near Marneuli
Marneuli
Marneuli is a small city in the Kvemo Kartli region of southern Georgia and administrative center of Marneuli District that borders neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia.-Population:...

. He spent most of his life in Podolsk
Podolsk
Podolsk is an industrial city and the administrative center of Podolsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Pakhra River...

, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, after his uncle invited him to help him in business but for unknown reasons returned to Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...

.
An official from his home village, Vidadi Hasanov, described Gadirov as an unsociable child, which rarely left his home during his brief return. On April 30, 2009, Gadirov arrived at the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy in Baku and opened fire on students within the second building, killing thirteen people and wounding ten other people before turning his gun on himself and committed suicide, according to witnesses, authorities, and the autopsy report.

International reaction

In the aftermath of the shootings, 15 countries and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 expressed condolences.
President
President of Belarus
The office of President of Belarus is the head of state of Belarus. The office was created in 1994 with the passing of the Constitution of Belarus by the Supreme Soviet. This replaced the office of Chairman of the Supreme Soviet as the head of state...

 Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...

 in a letter to Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev is the President of Azerbaijan since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee...

 expressed "deep condolences and sympathies to the families of the deceased". The Foreign Minister
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Czech Republic)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs handles foreign policy of the Czech Republic. , the Minister of Foreign Affairs is Karel Schwarzenberg.- External links :*...

 Karel Schwarzenberg
Karel Schwarzenberg
Karel Schwarzenberg or Karel, Prince of Schwarzenberg , 7...

 offered deep condolence to the families of the tragic event victims: "The tragic loss of life and wounds of young people in the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy deeply saddened me" letter of condolence to Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said. – Deputy chairman of the Estonian Parliament Kristiina Ojuland
Kristiina Ojuland
Kristiina Ojuland was the foreign minister of Estonia from 2002 through 2005. In June 2004 she ran for the post of secretary-general of the Council of Europe, but was defeated, receiving 51 of 299 votes...

 expressed the condolences. – In the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...

's press release EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby has expressed condolences to Azerbaijani people. – The French Foreign Ministry said in its address: "We were very sorry to hear about an armed attack this morning at the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy, killing 13 and injuring many others. We strongly condemn this act of violence". – The Georgian Foreign Ministry in its statement said that "the Georgian side unequivocally condemns this criminal act and expresses hope that the investigation will bring to light all details of the incident". Governor of Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli is a historic province and current administrative region in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is a regional capital. The population is mixed between Azeris and Georgians .The current governor is Davit Kirkitadze.- External links :* *...

 province Davit Kirkitadze also offered condolences to the people and President of Azerbaijan: “We, Georgians and Azerbaijanis, were always together in our happiness and grieve. I sorrow for this tragic event. This event grieved Georgians too as it hurt the heart of every Azerbaijani. We have to share our grieves as we share our happiness”. – The Iranian embassy in Baku said: "We feel deep sorrow over the tragic incident that occurred in Azerbaijan State Oil Academy on April 30. We grieve deeply as the victims of this terrible crime are students, young people". – As in the condolence letter, the "Iraqi embassy in Azerbaijan was very deeply saddened by the news of the murder of innocent teachers and students in the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy and condemns this act". – The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the most important ministries in the Israeli government. The ministry's role is to implement Israel's foreign policy, and promote economic, cultural, and scientific relations with other countries....

 Avigdor Lieberman condemned this violent act and mourn, together with our friends in Azerbaijan, this tragic loss of life of these young people and all the victims of this horrible event. – President Valdis Zatlers
Valdis Zatlers
Valdis Zatlers is a Latvian politician and former physician who served as the seventh president of Latvia from 2007 to 2011. He won the Latvian presidential election of 31 May 2007...

 addressed Ilham Aliyev. "The Latvian people share deep sorrow of Azerbaijanis", said in the condolences. – The Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre
Jonas Gahr Støre
Jonas Gahr Støre is the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, having been appointed to Jens Stoltenberg's second cabinet on 17 October 2005. He represents the Norwegian Labour Party.-Personal life:...

 offered his condolences in a letter to Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
Elmar Mammadyarov
Elmar Mammadyarov Maharram oglu , born on July 2, 1960, Baku), is the Foreign Minister in the Government of Azerbaijan since 2004. Mammadyarov speaks Russian, English and Turkish.-Early life:...

. – President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...

 said: "I am deeply shocked by news about the tragedy that took place on April 30 in Azerbaijan State Oil Academy in Baku. Our common grief is redoubled by the fact the victims of this monstrous crime were students, young people, who were full of vital plans." – President Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....

 and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...

 expressed their condolences. – President Viktor Yuschenko expressed the condolences. – David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...

 and Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...

 expressed the condolences. Prince Andrew said that in these difficult days, he is together with Azerbaijan. – The U.S. Department of State spokesperson Robert Wood said on April 30: "On behalf of the Department of State I wish to express our sympathy and solidarity with the people of Azerbaijan in the aftermath of the tragic shooting today at the State Oil Academy in Baku. We extend our sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the incident and we wish a speedy recovery to those wounded. The United States is standing in solidarity with Azerbaijan, our friend and strategic partner, in this time of shock and sadness".

Commemoration ban

Commemoration of the events were prevented by government on April 30, 2010. Around the place were placed Azerbaijan Police
Law enforcement in Azerbaijan
Law enforcement in Azerbaijan comes under the control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan, which administers the National Police of the Republic of Azerbaijan...

in uniforms and plainclothes.

External links

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