Families of Burgas bombing victims meet with Bulgaria PM
Bulgarian PM says investigation details into suspected Hezbollah terror attack to be revealed soon, as victims' families lament: No one is updating us about investigations.
Family members of the victims, and wounded survivors of the 2012 terrorist attack in Burgas, Bulgaria, that killed five Israelis and wounded another 33, met Monday with Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski.
The victims criticized the Israeli and Bulgarian governments for their handling of investigations into the incident, protesting that they still haven't been told the results of the inquiry. Hezbollah is the suspected perpetrator of the attack.
"Everyone's hugging us here, but the families feel isolated," said Shirley Timur, the sister of Maor Harush who died in the attack.
"No officials from either sides approached us to update us on the investigation," said Timur. "We don't know how our loved ones died, and we only hear about progress through the media."
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Oresharski, who returned some of the passports found at the scene to the survivors, said, "There has been significant progress in the investigation, but until it's finished we won't be able to know. We remained determined to complete the investigation with help from Israeli and European security officials."
The Israeli ambassador to Bulgaria, Shaul Kamisa, added that, "Soon we'll be able to update the families. No doubt that today it's safer to come to Bulgaria, which has gone through many changes relating to security."
Yitzhak Shriki, who lost his wife and was himself wounded in the attack, said that the return of the passports, "is like coming full circle for me. It's very emotional."
Kobi Price, who represented the families at the meeting, protested the decision by the European Union to label only Hezbollah's military wing as a terrorist organization.
"This is a disappointing decision. I call on the Bulgarian government to act in order to add all of the organization to the list," he said.
The attack took place on July 18, 2012 when a suicide bomber detonated next to an Israeli tourist bus in the parking lots of the Burgas airport. Five Israelis and the Bulgarian bus driver were killed while 33 Israelis were wounded.
One day after the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu named Hezbollah as responsible and connected Iran to the incident as well.
"It's about time that all nations tell the truth in a clear manner - Iran is what stands behind waves of terror," said Netanyahu. "We can't let a terrorist nation get an atomic weapon. We can't let the most dangerous country in the world have the most dangerous weapon."
