Bulgaria: Hezbollah behind bombing that killed 5 Israelis
Two individuals with links to Lebanon's Shi'ite group
Hezbollah were involved in a bomb attack on a bus in the Bulgarian resort of
Burgas that killed five Israeli tourists last July, Bulgaria's interior
minister said on Tuesday.
The conclusions of the Bulgarian investigation may open
the way for the European Union to join the United States in branding the
Iranian-backed Hezbollah a terrorist organization since there is now a clear
connection to an attack on EU territory.
Three people were involved in the attack, two of whom had
genuine passports from Australia and Canada, Tsvetan Tsvetanov told reporters
after Bulgaria's national security council discussed the investigation.
"We have established that the two were members of
the militant wing of Hezbollah," Tsvetanov said. "There is data
showing the financing and connection between Hezbollah and the two
suspects."
Israel blamed the attack in the Black Sea city - which
killed five Israeli tourists, their Bulgarian driver and the bomber - on Iran
and Hezbollah, a powerful Shi'ite Islamist militia that is part of the Lebanese
government.
Tehran has denied responsibility and accused Israel of
plotting and carrying out the blast. Hezbollah has not publicly responded to
charges by Israel and US agencies that it played a role.
The Netherlands said in August that the EU should follow
the lead of the United States, which designated Hezbollah as a terrorist
organization in the 1990s, a move that would enable the EU to freeze
Hezbollah's assets in Europe.
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