Bulgaria identifies Burgas bombing accomplice
Sofia issued arrest warrant for one of three foreigners who aided terrorist who blew up Israeli tourist bus in July. Chief investigator: Bomber did not plan to die
Bulgarian police have identified and issued an international arrest warrant for one of the three foreign nationals suspected of aiding the terrorist who carried out the attack on a bus full of Israeli tourists in the resort city of Burgas last July, local media outlets reported Thursday, citing police investigators. Five Israelis and a Bulgarian bus driver were killed in the bombing.
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The suspected accomplice's country of origin is known to authorities in Sofia, according to the report.
According to AFP, Stanelia Karadzhova, head of the regional investigation unit in Burgas, told the 24 Hours newspaper in an interview that the investigation has evidence for the implication of three persons. The identity of one of them, a man, has already been established, she added.
Karadzhova was quoted by Bulgarian news agency Novinite as saying that police believe a fourth suspect may emerge.
Composite image of one of suspected accomplices
It remains unclear how the terrorist contacted the alleged accomplices, as they had never been seen together and did not travel with cell phones or laptops.
Karadzhova said investigators had linked the individuals through their falsified documents, bearing the name of the state of Michigan, and their similar, basic lifestyle. The chief investigator described their way of life as "very ordered and simple, like in the army, which suggests they had the same type of training."
She said that according to new evidence, the main attacker did not intend to die in the attack.
According to Novintine, the bomber went under the alias Jacque Felipe Martin and one of his accomplices used the false name of Ralph Willima Rico. Both had fake documents from the US state of Michigan.
In July ABC News published a photo of a fake Michigan driver's license that belonged to the man who was identified by Bulgarian authorities as the suicide bomber.
According to the image obtained by ABC, the "Michigan Operator's License" with the name "Jacque Felipe Martin" showed that the suspect included a fake Louisiana address as his permanent residence. The address is actually that of a Baton Rouge, Louisiana casino, called the Belle of Baton Rouge.
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