There is no clear evidence that five suspects currently detained in Bulgaria were involved in the 13 November Istanbul terrorist attack, a Bulgarian court announced on Saturday evening.
Six people were killed and 81 others wounded on 13 November when an explosion rocked a busy pedestrian street in central Istanbul. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called this a bomb attack that “smells like terrorism”.
Earlier on Saturday, the Bulgarian prosecutor’s office accused the five individuals, three Moldovans and one Middle Eastern citizen, of helping to carry out the attack in Istanbul but provided no information on how they were arrested. According to investigators, the detainees provided logistical and communication assistance after the explosion in the centre of Istanbul.
But in a preliminary hearing, the Sofia City Court found no clear evidence that they had any connection with the attack, but the judge decided to keep them in custody. Court decisions are not published online, but the information from the court has been reported from the courtroom in Bulgarian media. The City Court decision is not final and can be appealed in front of the higher instance.
The prosecution levied charges of human trafficking, smuggling and terrorism, and while no evidence was found regarding the attack, they have been remanded in custody due to the trafficking charges.
A Turkish court ordered the pre-trial detention of 17 people suspected of being involved in the explosion, including the suspected bomber, who police identified as Syrian national Ahlam Albashir. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast.
The Turkish government swiftly blamed Kurdish militants for the attack, and police have said Kurdish militants trained the suspected bomber in Syria.
Source: euractiv.com
