Bulgaria charges three Syrians with trying to join Islamic State
SOFIA - Bulgarian prosecutors have charged three Syrians with attempting to join Islamic State militant group after border patrols arrested them as they tried to enter Turkey from Bulgaria, the interior ministry said on Monday.
The three Syrians, who had refugee status from Germany, had already made one unsuccessful attempt to enter Turkey through Greece earlier this year, the ministry said.
"During operational activities their affiliation to Islamic State has been established, as well as their intention to join the terrorist group," the ministry said in a statement.
The three men, who had already been given six-month suspended sentences for attempting to cross the Bulgarian-Turkish border illegally. They now face up to 10 years in jail if convicted.
