Bulgaria Police Claim Advance in Burgas Bomb Probe

Bulgarian police say they have identified one of a trio of terrorists involved in the bombing of a tour bus in Bulgaria, which killed five Israelis and the Bulgarian driver last year.

According to the Bulgarian daily 24 Chasa, police are still searching for the suspect and have not released his name.

Five Israelis and their Bulgarian driver were killed near the resort of Burgas when the bus they were boarding outside Burgas’s airport blew up on July 18.

Over 30 others were injured, three of them seriously, in the bombing, which Israel blamed on Hezbollah.

The suspect acted with the bomber, known under the alias Jacque Felipe Martin, as well as another accomplice, known under the alias Ralph William Rico.

The real identities of Martin and Rico have not yet been uncovered.

All three suspects used fake driving licences from the US state of Michigan during their stay in Bulgaria, Burgas police told 24 Chasa.

Investigators suspect there may have been a fourth or fifth accomplice. Bulgarian police maintain that all those involved were foreigners, but are wary of pointing a finger at Hezbollah without solid evidence.

The Bulgarian police have yet to make any arrests in the case and the investigation has gone slowly. In November, a top Interpol official said the lack of progress in the investigation was “abnormal.”