A bombing on a bus with Israeli tourists in Bulgaria was likely
carried out by a male suicide attacker, the nation's interior minister
said Thursday.
The attack occurred
Wednesday in a parking lot outside Burgas Airport in Bulgaria. Israel
has suggested Iran or an Islamic militant group could have been behind
it.
Explainer: Explosion comes amid growing tension
"From what we could see
on the video cameras ... we identified a person who served as a suicide
bomber in this terror attack," Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov told
Bulgarian National TV.
Tsvetanov said seven people had died, including the suicide bomber.
He had earlier said
another person died from the blast overnight, taking the death toll to
eight, but he subsequently said that information had been given to him
in error by the Israeli ambassador.
The dead are five Israelis, a Bulgarian bus driver and the suicide bomber.
Three people seriously
wounded in the attack have been flown to a Sofia hospital, a spokesman
for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday.
Another 33 wounded people are already on their way back to Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
Military medical
personnel arrived in Bulgaria on Thursday morning to prepare for moving
the severely wounded from Sofia back to Israel, as well as the bodies of
those killed.
The suspect in the
attack had a Michigan driver's license, which FBI officials on the scene
have identified as fake, Tsvetanov said.
As a result, the suspect's identity is "currently unknown," he said, adding that a fingerprint check was being carried out.
Tsvetanov said that the
suspect didn't stand out from other tourists on video footage from the
airport. He was wearing short khaki pants and had a backpack, he said.
'
We presume this is a terrorist attack'
Powerful explosion rips through bus
Black smoke fills sky after bus bombing
'
We presume this is a terrorist attack'
The authorities believe
that the suspect was carrying the bomb in his backpack, which he placed
in the luggage compartment underneath the bus, Tsvetanov said.
Security footage aired
by Bulgarian National TV shows the suspect, wearing a baseball cap and
sneakers, looking relaxed as he walks around among other travelers,
carrying his backpack and a smaller bag.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Wednesday that the bombing was "clearly a terrorist attack."
The attack was probably
initiated by a group under the auspices of "either Iran or other radical
Muslim groups," according to Barak, who cited Hezbollah and Hamas as
likely suspects.
"We are in a continued
fight against them. We are determined to identify who sent them, who
executed (the attack) and to settle the account," Barak said.
The bus was scheduled to carry about 47 passengers to a resort. Bulgaria is a popular destination for Israelis.
Netanyahu pointed to
Iran, saying it has been behind recent attempted attacks on Israelis in
Thailand, India and Georgia, among others. Key Israeli politicians
pointed to Iran as the likely instigator, but Israel's U.S. Embassy
acknowledged there was no proof.
The Iranian government had no immediate comment on the incident.
Read Netanyahu's full statement
Security expert Ivan
Boyadjiev told Bulgarian National TV that Israel had warned several
months ago of the possibility of an attack on Israelis in Bulgaria.
Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said he met the head of Mossad, Israel's intelligence service, about two months ago.
"If we'd received any
kind of information about this, it would have been taken very
seriously," he told reporters. "The fact that such an attack was carried
out here and now should not be interpreted as to say that Bulgaria is
not a safe country for tourists."
U.S. President Barack Obama condemned what he called a "barbaric terrorist attack."
"As Israel has
tragically once more been a target of terrorism, the United States
reaffirms our unshakeable commitment to Israel's security, and our deep
friendship and solidarity with the Israeli people," said Obama, who
called Netanyahu to express his condolences.
Oren Katz, who was with his wife and three children on a bus near the one that blew up, described a bloody scene.
"The moment we got on
(the bus), we heard a very loud explosion. It was the third bus next to
us. Everyone started running in all directions," he said.
The explosion came on
the 18th anniversary of an attack on a Jewish community center in the
Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires, in which 85 people were killed.
Argentina's top
prosecutor last year blamed Iran for the 1994 attack, which also wounded
about 300 people. Israel also holds Iran responsible for the attack;
Tehran has denied any connection to the bombing, which it has condemned.
Tension between Iran and Israel has increased over the past year.
Iran hanged a man convicted of killing one of its nuclear scientists, state-run Press TV reported in May.
Majid Jamali Fashi was
convicted of the January 2010 killing of an Iranian university professor
and a nuclear scientist. He was also convicted of spying. Prosecutors
accused him of working for the Mossad and said he was paid $120,000 by
Israel to carry out the hit.
Israel typically does not comment on such claims.
Iran's efforts to build a
nuclear program have unnerved many world leaders, resulting in
condemnation and sanctions from the United Nations. Tehran insists the
program is for peaceful purposes.
Israel, which is
believed to have its own nuclear arsenal and has expressed alarm over
Tehran's hostility toward the Jewish state, has said it may attack Iran
to try to stop the country from developing nuclear weapons.