Four police officers killed in clash with Islamists near Baku

A member of the group also died, the reports said.

The clash broke out as police attempted to arrest Taleh Bagirzada, an influential Shiite cleric opposed to the government. The cleric’s supporters put up armed resistance.

Bagirzada is said to have been detained along with several other members of his group.

Nardaran is a devout Shiite village 30 km north of the Azerbaijani capital.

Two people were killed in a clash between police and residents of the village in 2002. The government blamed the violence on Iranian-backed groups at the time.