A bombing that killed six Israelis on a tourist bus in Bulgaria appears to have been a suicide attack, the country’s interior minister said today.
Tsvetan Tsvetanov said security camera tape showed the suspect near the bus for almost an hour before the blast at the airport in the Black Sea resort city of Burgas yesterday.
Bulgarian prime minister Boiko Borisov said the bomber was carrying a fake Michigan driving licence. “We worked on this with colleagues from the FBI and CIA. They said that there is no such person in their database,” he said, but did not release a name.
Mr Borisov added that he had asked for the release of a photo of the suspect taken from the security camera.
Israeli spokesman Lior Ben Dor said six Israelis were killed and 32 people wounded in the attack. The nationality of the bomber is unknown.
About 100 Israelis who were not injured and wanted to cut short their holiday will be flown home in a Bulgarian government plane.
Burgas has become a popular destination for Israelis, particularly high school graduates before they begin their military service.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion fell on Iran and its Lebanese proxy, the Hezbollah guerrilla group.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “All signs point to Iran. Just in the past few months, we have seen attempts by Iran to harm Israelis in Thailand, India, Georgia, Kenya, Cyprus and more.
This is an Iranian terror attack that is spreading across the world. Israel will react forcefully to Iran’s terror.” President Barack Obama called Mr Netanyahu to promise help in finding the perpetrators of the “barbaric terrorist attack”.
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There have been no official statements by the Iranian authorities about the attack but a commentary on state TV’s website called the claims by Mr Netanyahu and others “ridiculous” and “sensational”. The website described the Israeli charges as attempts to discredit Iran and allies such as Syria.
Israeli security chiefs met late last night and officials said any reaction would probably be a limited operation, most likely under the auspices of the Mossad spy agency. The sources said officials were also reviewing security at potential Israeli targets, such as airports and diplomatic installations.
Iran has blamed Israel for a series of covert attacks on Iranian nuclear targets, ranging from the assassination of nuclear scientists to computer viruses that have damaged centrifuges.
