A Bulgarian court sentenced two men with alleged ties to Hezbollah to life in prison over their involvement in a 2012 bus bombing that killed five Israelis.
The bombing occurred in July of that year; a suicide bomber, identified as Mohammed Hassan El-Husseini, blew up a bus outside of Bulgaria’s Burgas Airport. Five Israelis, including a pregnant woman, were killed in the bombing, as was the Bulgarian bus driver. More than 34 people were injured in the bombing.
The German news outlet Deutsche Welle (DW) reported that the two men, identified as Meliad Farah and El Hajj Hassan, were tried and sentenced in absentia. Prosecutors alleged that the two men transported the bomb to El-Husseini and helped with logistical matters.
Israel and Bulgaria have accused Hezbollah of being behind the attack; the Iranian Shiite proxy has denied involvement.
It is not known where Farah and Hassan are at this time.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted, “Two Hezbollah-linked men who perpetrated the fatal attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria sentenced — in absentia — to life in jail. Yet another reminder of the ever-present threat posed by Hezbollah & why it must be fully designated as a terrorist group.”
Two Hezbollah-linked men who perpetrated the fatal attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria sentenced – in absentia – to life in jail. Yet another reminder of the ever-present threat posed by Hezbollah & why it must be fully designated as a terrorist group: https://t.co/tWKKFQfGRs
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) September 21, 2020
The European Union currently designates only Hezbollah’s military wing as a terror organization; the United States has been among those arguing that Hezbollah’s political wing should be designated as a terror group as well.
