Two men have been arrested for plotting a terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy and other government buildings in Baku, Azerbaijan. 

Kamran Asadov, an officer of the Defense Ministry, and Farid Jabbarov were arrested on November 9, 2007, in a forest outside Baku.  Both men confessed to the terror plot, according to authorities. Asadov reportedly stole four submachine guns, one machine gun and 20 grenades, as well as shells and other military equipment from his military unit.

The National Security Ministry of Azerbaijan described Asadov and Jabbarov as adherents of Wahhabism, a fanatical branch of Sunni Islam that preaches intolerance for all others – Muslims and non-Muslims – who do not subscribe to its teachings.

Azerbaijani authorities reportedly discovered the plot and detained several other men involved in it in the village of Mashtaga, near Baku, in October 2007.  At least two of the men spoke about the plot to authorities at that time.

The announcement that the plot had been foiled prompted the U.S. and British embassies in Baku to close temporarily.