Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijan’s interior ministry has termed as "an accident" the recent attack on US and British nationals in the capital Baku, condemning the crime and pledging to arraign the culprits.

Ehsan Zahidov, a ministry spokesman, said the two women - Amanda Erickson and Celia Davis – on Wednesday night reported to a Baku district police department that they had been beaten by four unknown individuals.

According to Zahidov, one of the women suffered injuries and received first aid at a hospital. It is worth mentioning that Davis’ right arm was reportedly broken.

Zahidov dismissed media allegations that the women had been followed and the attack was planned beforehand, adding that during a conversation with them they had confirmed that the incident occurred by accident and was an act of hooliganism.

The ministry spokesman said a criminal case has been launched on charges of hooliganism, and law enforcers are searching for the assailants.

"The interior ministry decisively condemns the beating of people on the grounds of hooliganism, particularly if such actions target foreign nationals," Zahidov said. "The persons who committed this crime will be found and brought to book."

The Prosecutor-General's Office has said Interior Minister Ramil Usubov is personally overseeing the ongoing investigation.

Despite the crime being an act of hooliganism, some claim that it was a provocation staged by hostile forces.

Erickson, who collaborates with The Washington Post and New York Times, and rights champion Davis are holding a training for local journalists and civil society activists in Baku.