No evidence video shows Azerbaijan Islamic Party leader entering US illegally | Fact check
The claim: Video shows Azerbaijani terrorist entering the US illegally through Texas
A Jan. 23 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) shows a man standing with a small group in a desert and telling the person behind the camera, "You are really not smart enough to know who I am. But soon you're gonna know who I am."
The video, which was initially shared on TikTok, proceeds to claim the man in the clip is Movsum Samadov, a man who was arrested on terrorism and other charges in Azerbaijan in 2011.
"He crossed the Texas border illegally," reads on-screen text in the video. "Movsum Samadov The Chairman of Azerbaijan Islamic Party."
The post garnered more than 50,000 likes in a week. Similar versions of the claim were shared on Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter.
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Our rating: False
There's no evidence the man in the video is Samadov. In a recent interview, Samadov said the man doesn't physically resemble him and that he is banned from leaving Azerbaijan. There are no credible reports that Samadov has entered the U.S. illegally.
No evidence Azerbaijani extremist was captured in video
As the video states, Samadov was the head of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan until he was arrested in 2011. He was charged with "preparing a crime" and "illegally purchasing, transferring, selling, storing, transporting and carrying firearms, accessories, supplies and explosives committed by an organized group," among other crimes, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Though he was sentenced to 12 years in prison and released on Jan. 19, 2023, as the video states, there's no evidence he is the man in the video.
Samadov addressed the claim in a Jan. 24 Radio Liberty interview and said the man in the video doesn't resemble him besides his glasses, according to a Google Translation of the article.
Samadov also said he's banned from leaving Azerbaijan and, therefore, is unable to visit the U.S.
"I have tried twice to visit, but permission was not granted," he said. "Since I cannot leave the country, it is impossible for me to go there."
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An X user, whose handle can partially be seen at the beginning of the Instagram video, previously shared the video on Jan. 20 with a caption referring to the man as a "migrant who illegally crossed into the U.S." The post doesn't mention Samadov or Texas. Instead, in a comment below the post, the user said the video was filmed in Southern Arizona.
Paste BN reached out to the Instagram and X users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response. The TikTok user couldn't be contacted.
The claim was also debunked by PolitiFact, Lead Stories and Check Your Fact.
Our fact-check sources:
- U.S. Commission of International Religious Freedom, accessed Jan. 31, Movsum Samadov
- Radio Liberty, Jan. 24, Movsum Samadov: 'If they want to arrest, let them be charged appropriately'
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