Bulgarian authorities are seeking man who helped suicide bomber cause the deaths of 5 Israeli tourists in July, Bulgarian media reports.
Bulgarian authorities have discovered the real identity of one of several men involved in the July bombing of a bus in the city of Burgas, in which five Israelis and a Bulgarian bus driver were killed, Bulgarian news agency Novinite reported on Thursday. This marks the first instance of a real identity being discovered in the case. The bomber and an additional accomplice are thus far known by their aliases only.
Bulgarian authorities were searching for the suspected accomplice to the bomber, whose name they did not release.
American and Israeli intelligence officials attribute the suicide bombing at the seaside resort to a joint Hezbollah-Iran operation.
According to a report in The New York Times, Israel’s intelligence apparatus intercepted telephone calls between Lebanon and Burgas, months ahead of the bombing.
Bulgarian authorities have not made any arrests in the case. The bomber was know under the alias of Jacque Felipe Martin and he had an accomplice with the alias of Ralph Willima Rico. Neither of the suspect’s true identities have been discovered, according to Novinite. Martin, Rico and the third accomplice, whose true identity has been discovered, all used fake US identification documents from the state of Michigan.
The blast on the bus occurred soon after a charter plane, Air Bulgaria flight 392 from Ben-Gurion Airport, landed at Burgas Airport. The bus was the second of four carrying Israeli tourists from the airport to hotels in the city.
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