‘Burgas blast planned abroad, bomb assembled locally’
AFP: Bulgarian Chief of Staff says attacker may not have intended to die in attack, did not collaborate with local terrorists
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
The bomb used in the deadly blast which killed five Israelis in Bulgaria two weeks ago was likely assembled in Bulgaria, AFP reported Saturday, citing a report which appeared in the Bulgarian-language 24 Hours newspaper.
“I can definitely say that the attack was plotted, prepared and implemented by people … very far away from Bulgaria,” the news agency quoted Bulgarian Chief of Staff Kalin Georgiev as saying in an interview. “They come, act, and leave.”
Georgiev reportedly stated that the Burgas blast was not a case of “home-grown terrorism” and was not carried out in cooperation with local terrorist cells. The explosive device used in the attack, however, was said to have been assembled on local soil.
“There is nothing specific about its make,” Georgiev was quoted as saying. “Our experts estimate that it was assembled somewhere close, as no one would risk carrying an activated improvised explosive device (IED) … In the method of assembly or the fabrication of the IED, there are no characteristic features typical of any terrorist structure.”
It is still unclear if the perpetrator intended to die in the blast. However, Georgiev reportedly stated that “he is not the typical suicide attacker … There is a high probability that the terrorist fell victim to his own error.”
He added that Bulgarian security forces were making every effort to identify the bomber, in collaboration with the authorities in Belgium, Britain, and Finland.
The Times of Israel Community.