The interior ministry on friday confirmed speculation about the background to the attack on israeli tourists, without giving details about the nationality of the perpetrator. The five victims of wednesday’s bomb blast were buried in their israeli homes.
The man had spent at least four days in the coastal resort of burgas on the black sea before mingling with the israeli tour group and blowing himself up. Immediately after the attack, israel blamed the iranian leadership and the lebanese hezbollah for the bloody deed. Iran vehemently denied this.
The suicide bomber took the 25 to 44-year-old tourists and a bulgarian bus driver with him to their deaths. More than 30 people were injured when the man on the tour group’s bus fired into the explosive device. The media had initially reported that the assailant was a 33-year-old former guantanamo detainee with a swedish passport. But the governments in sofia and stockholm denied it.
In israel, the first victim, 28-year-old izik colangi, was buried in his hometown of petach tikva, east of tel aviv. Israeli media reported that he had flown on vacation with his wife to celebrate the birth of their daughter. The child, who is now four months old, stayed at home with her grandparents. The mother was also seriously injured in the explosion.
Shortly after colangi was buried, his childhood friend amir menashe was also laid to rest. In the village of akko, members buried the two friends maor harush and elior preiss. 44-year-old kochava shriki, the fifth victim, was reportedly pregnant by her family.
The coffins, draped in israeli flags, were transported during the night and received by the families at a mourning ceremony at the airport near tel aviv. A clergyman read psalms. Pictures showed the relatives throwing themselves on the coffins, crying and cutting each other down. A young woman collapsed. "There is no consolation for the suffering that has befallen you," tourism minister stas misezhnikov told mourners.
After the attack, high-ranking U.S. Government officials had suggested that the assassin was a member of the bulgarian cell of the pro-iranian hezbollah. This was reported by the "new york times". The assailant is seen on video from a surveillance camera, carrying fake U.S. Papers.