New details have emerged regarding the individual involved in an attempt to blackmail the family of the President of Azerbaijan. According to Operative Information Center-OMM, the information was disclosed during the "Mir Shahin's Time" program hosted by the head of REAL TV, Mir Shahin Agayev.
It was emphasized that the individual accused of blackmailing the President's family is Salmanov Farid Ilgar oglu. Born in 1976, Salmanov has resided in Baku since 2003 and previously worked as a journalist for the "Ayna", "Zerkalo", and "Bizim Asr" newspapers. Investigations conducted by the State Security Service (SSS) have established reasonable suspicions that Farid Salmanov entered into a criminal conspiracy with others to extort particularly large sums of money by threatening to disseminate deliberately false and defamatory information.
According to the investigation, Farid Salmanov conspired with Azerbaijani citizens Aliyev Elman Yaqub oglu, Salimov Mammadzaki Mammad oglu, and others. On February 11, 2026, using a Facebook account under his own name, Salmanov sent voice messages to the "Sancaq media" page owned by Mehman Rafiq oglu Huseynov. The communication concerned the use of fraudulent video materials—partially broadcast on February 3, 2026, on the YouTube channel "Haqsizliga susma" managed by Qabil Amrah oglu Mammadov—which falsely claimed to depict Alena Aliyeva. The group aimed to use these fabricated visuals to demand significant financial assets through intimidation.
The State Security Service of Azerbaijan continues to take decisive measures against cybercrime and attempts to undermine the reputation of state officials through disinformation. In Azerbaijan, the SSS is the primary agency responsible for protecting the constitutional order and investigating high-level threats to national security, including organized extortion schemes and the spread of malicious digital content targeting the country's leadership.
