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Gun attack at Azerbaijan academy Baku gun attack 'leaves 12 dead'
(about 6 hours later)
At least 13 people have been shot dead at an academy in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, officials say. A gunman has shot dead 12 people at a top training institute in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, before turning the gun on himself, officials say.
Local reports say one or two unidentified gunmen opened fire at Azerbaijan's State Oil Academy. Another 13 people, among them foreigners, were wounded in the attack at the elite State Oil Academy.
Senior government officials confirmed that the attack was over and that the building had been secured after a police operation. The gunman was later identified as Farda Gadirov, 29, a Georgian national of Azeri origin. The motive for the shooting was not immediately known.
The state of Azerbaijan is rich in oil, and the site of the shooting is one of its most prestigious institutions. The academy building in central Baku was secured after a police operation.
The BBC's Tom Esslemont in Tbilisi says government officials have not confirmed how many gunmen were involved in the attack and if one or more of the attackers were still alive. Pools of blood
There is no confirmation as to the identity or the motive of the assailant, our correspondent says. The gunman opened fire shortly after classes at the academy began at 0900 local time (0400 GMT).
Police remain at the scene of the shooting and all roads leading to the academy have been blocked, according to the Reuters news agency. We were in an exam, we heard gunshots, we went out of the classroom in panic and saw a gunman opening fire on everyone Bekir Belek, Turkish student
Classroom panic The attacker had entered the academy and "shot at everyone he saw", while moving from the first to the sixth floor of the building, the Azeri interior ministry said in a statement.
The shooting occurred shortly after morning classes began at the academy. Witnesses described how a gunman shot at random as he made his way through the university building. It said he was using a Russian-made Makarov pistol and had three ammunition belts.
Local television footage from inside the building showed bodies lying face-down in pools of blood. "The police arrived at the scene and when he [the attacker] realised that he could not escape from the building he shot himself," the statement added.
Sudanese and Syrian nationals were reportedly among the wounded.
Witnesses said the attacker fired at random as he made his way through the building.
"We were in an exam, we heard gunshots, we went out of the classroom in panic and saw a gunman opening fire on everyone," Bekir Belek, a Turkish student, told Turkey's CNN-Turk television channel from a hospital in Baku."We were in an exam, we heard gunshots, we went out of the classroom in panic and saw a gunman opening fire on everyone," Bekir Belek, a Turkish student, told Turkey's CNN-Turk television channel from a hospital in Baku.
Earlier reports said that hostages had been taken, but these are unconfirmed. Local police have declined to give further details about the incident. Local television footage from inside the building showed bodies lying face-down in pools of blood.
The state oil academy, which was founded in 1920, is located in central Baku and is one of the most prestigious of the country's institutions, our correspondent says. Earlier media reports said there were at least two gunmen.
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences, saying he would personally oversee the investigation.
Azerbaijan is rich in oil and its state oil academy was founded in 1920.
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