Azerbaijan cracks down on alleged French spy ring

A French group has been arrested by Azerbaijan’s state security forces on suspicion of espionage activities

Azerbaijan’s state security forces arrested a French group on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities within the country, with the investigation expected to widen.

France, which supplied arms to Armenia for a potential conflict and instigated normalization processes in the Caucasus post-Second Karabakh War, is under scrutiny for its espionage activities in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani sources revealed that the French financial institution Societe Generale was spying on behalf of the French government in Azerbaijan.

According to allegations, the corporation, using Azerbaijani nationals for espionage, endeavored to target bank accounts in Azerbaijan.

According to French-based Observer Online, an Azerbaijani citizen who aided the detained French spy in Azerbaijan was also apprehended.

Azerbaijani citizen A. Mammadli was arrested alongside a detained French national suspected of espionage. Mammadli is accused of obtaining French citizenship and collaborating with the French national Martin Ryan in exchange for compensation. He is also suspected of facilitating the collection and transmission of sensitive information.

Source: Newsroom