SANS EXPELS FOUR GERMAN CITIZENS FROM BULGARIA FOR INVOLVEMENT IN TERRORISM
On April 12, 2017, officials of Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (SANS), with the assistance of the Ministry of Interior, detained five German citizens at Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint, at the border with Turkey. One of the detained is a minor. They travelled by train from Bucharest to Istanbul. The authorities had reasonable suspicions of the persons’ involvement in a terrorist organization. Four of them have been expelled.
The behaviour of the detained revealed signs of radicalization typical for the so-called foreign terrorist fighters.
According to the data gathered, four of the detained persons have been involved in aiding a terrorist organization, active on the territory of Syria and Iraq. The minor was meant to reach Syria and join a terrorist group. The German authorities have banned them from leaving the country in order to prevent them from joining the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq. One of the detained individuals was using a passport which belonged to another German citizen.
Given the well-founded suspicion of involvement of the five German citizens in a terrorist organization, the data on their activities and the purpose of their travel, it was assessed that their presence on the territory of Bulgaria poses a threat to national security by virtue of Art. 4, para. 1, item 11 and 13 of the State Agency for National Security Act.
The four adults have been detained for 24 hours. The minor was placed in the care of social services until he is handed over to his family in Germany. The head of SANS has ordered the expulsion of the four of them and they were banned from entering Bulgaria. The measures have been carried out by the competent authoritis.
