The bombing of a bus in front of a Bulgarian airport which killed six people—five Israeli tourists and the Bulgarian driver—was apparently carried out by a man with a fake Michigan's driver's license. According to the NY Times, "The suicide attack, the country’s first, has sent police and intelligence officers from Bulgaria, Israel and the United States scrambling to identify the bomber and to look for possible accomplices and convincing evidence that would connect him either to Hezbollah, the radical Lebanese group allied with Tehran, or the Quds Force, an elite international operations unit within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps."
Video released by Bulgarian authorities shows a male dressed as a tourist and carrying huge black backpack at Burgas Airport. The AP adds, "The attack occurred shortly after the Israelis boarded a bus outside the airport in the Black Sea resort town of Burgas, a popular destination for Israeli tourists — particularly for high school graduates before they are drafted into military service. Burgas is about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the capital, Sofia."
CBS News reports that Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov "said the bomber was believed to have been about 36 years old and had been in the country between four and seven days. 'We cannot exclude the possibility that he had logistical support on Bulgarian territory,' the minister said. He declined to elaborate." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the killings on Iran and Hezbollah, but did not mention any proof. It was also believed the bomber might have been a Muslim Swede who had been at Guantanamo Bay between 2002 and 2004, but apparently the bomber is not Mehdi Ghezali.
Mayor Bloomberg today said he was briefed by the Israeli ambassador about the incident. According to WCBS 2, the mayor said, "It’s just a reminder of two things. One, it’s a great tragedy. Families, people killed, kids and two, we live in a dangerous world." And Comptroller John Liu said, "I and all New Yorkers vehemently condemn the vicious terrorist attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria. The residents of this City have a special relationship and deep ties with Israel, where many of our family members and friends reside. We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of those killed and injured. In this City, which has experienced the pain of terrorism first-hand, we know well that attacks against innocent civilians are attacks against all law-abiding nations. The perpetrators must be brought to justice.”
