President Ilham Aliyev fired his National Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov in a surprise move on Saturday.
No reason was given for the dismissal in a presidential decree carried by the state news agency Azartac.
President Aliyev signed the decree upon his return from Burabay, Kazakhstan, where he attended a meeting of the heads of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Several news websites close to the government claimed the former national security minister, Mahmudov, has been put under house arrest.
At least three generals heading the ministry’s monitoring and anti-terror departments have been arrested, according to the reports.
Strateg.az, a Baku-based website, said that the ministry’s monitoring department is suspected of illegally eavesdropping on President Aliyev, his family members and several high-ranking government officials.
The claims cannot be independently confirmed.
The Prosecutor-General’s Office is expected to make an announcement on the investigation.
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