Bulgaria PM Boyko Borisov (R) met Tuesday in Sofia with John Brennan (L), President Barack Obama’s Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security. Photo by BGNES
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has suggested that the perpetrator of the July 18 terror attack against Israeli tourist in Burgas may have arrived in the country from the Schengen space.
The horrific bus bombing in the Black Sea resort city killed seven and injured over 30.
"At present we have no evidence about the perpetrator, about his nationality, and where he arrived from," Borisov stated Tuesday after a meeting with John Brennan, President Barack Obama's Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security.
Bulgaria's Prime Minister argued that remarks defining Bulgaria as an unreliable Schengen border had to be toned down because "it may turn out that the Schengen Area is unreliable for Bulgaria."
"Let us have patience and avoid dropping words," Borisov urged.
He reminded that the world's best specialists were working on the case.
"We have wonderful relations with the Arab world and exceptionally good relations with Israel," Borisov stressed.
"We have not underestimated the situation, the terror attack in Bulgaria could not have been prevented, given the manner in which it was conducted," the Prime Minister argued.
"There was absolutely no chance of preventing such act of violence. We could have only detected it by chance or if we had been informed by the services that such activities were underway in Bulgaria," he insisted.
"They came about a month before that, they changed leased vehicles, they moved in different cities so as not to be seen together, and no two of them can be seen in one place on any security camera," Borisov commented, adding that the people behind the horrific blast had been "exceptionally skilled".
"The services worked perfectly but the manner in which the attack was carried out indicates it could not have been prevented," he emphasized.
Bulgaria's Prime Minister suggested that if the terror attack had not happened at the Burgas Airport, the perpetrator could have followed the bus with the Israeli tourists to the hotel to detonate the bomb there.
"We are very vulnerable. You can enter Bulgaria from any place as a tourist, an expert, or a guest in the mixed-population areas, but our services do not have multi-billon budgets," he declared.
Borisov noted, however that the investigation was progressing, adding that Bulgarian services were on a par with US and Spanish services investigating the September 11 attacks and the Madrid train bombings.
He further defined Bulgaria's relations with the Arab world as very dynamic.
"Bulgaria is a small country with a mixed population and it is important for us to be a peaceful destination and to bring up the topic as seldom as possible,' Borisov concluded.
