Posted on 03/08/2008 4:24:22 PM PST by forkinsocket
SOFIA - A fire on a Bulgarian train that killed nine people last week was a terrorist attack, an expert said Friday, heightening speculation over the deaths.
‘The train was intentionally torched and not just by one, but by several terrorists,’ Christo Smolenov, who was in charge of training defence ministry special forces in the 1990s, told the Trud daily in an interview published Friday.
‘If it was a terrorist act, it would represent a signal that must be recognised. If we close our eyes, the terrorists will be tempted to do it again,’ he also told national television.
Smolenov was only the latest in a line of experts and officials to voice the theory of a terrorist act.
Chief prosecutor Boris Velchev said on Wednesday that a militant attack could not be ruled out for the blaze that swept through two sleeping cars on the train going from Sofia to Kardam late on February 28.
‘The terrorist attack scenario is being examined as seriously as the others,’ such as negligence by the passengers or train personnel, Velchev said.
Sixty-two passengers were in the two cars when the fire broke out just before midnight, killing four men and five women, whose charred bodies were found in the debris.
Smolenov, who has examined the train, noted that ‘a specific deformation in the two carriages... indicates clear ignition points,’ contradicting the passengers’ version that a broken lamp set fire to curtains in the sleeping car, which then spread to the neighbouring carriage.
Three other terrorism experts before him had already claimed that the blaze was a terrorist act, although one of them, Slavcho Velkov, told national television Thursday that no organisation had yet claimed responsibility for the incident, adding that this was rare for a terrorist attack.
According to Smolenov, flammable substances, such as ‘a Molotov cocktail or napalm, may have been used at several spots on the train.’
Railway officials have questioned how the fire spread so quickly and said passengers might have had flammable substances.
Transport Minister Petar Moutafchiev said he would wait for the results of the investigation but told the daily Monitor: ‘This was not a typical train accident.’
Meanwhile, railway chief Oleg Petkov told bTV television that a ‘catalyser’ had broadened the spread of the fire.
As a result, the ministry increased security measures on trains on March 6, imposing a complete ban on smoking, increasing luggage checks including in sleeping cars, and improving passenger registration.
If confirmed, this would be the first terrorist attack to take place in Bulgaria since the 1980s.
During that time there were several bomb attacks-including one on a train and another at a railway station-carried out by ethnic Turk Bulgarians campaigning against the forced assimilation of their groups by the communist government.
Quakers or Zen Bhuddists?
“Quakers or Zen Bhuddists?”
A little known Bulgarian Amish sect, the Amishkovs.
“A little known Bulgarian Amish sect, the Amishkovs.”
Headed by the vile terrorist, Katyusha Kalashnikov.
“...contradicting the passengers’ version that a broken lamp set fire to curtains...”
So, the passengers are lying? Hmm. Sounds like someone is trying to gin up a terrorist attack from an accidental fire.
“Headed by the vile terrorist, Katyusha Kalashnikov.”
One of the worst! Its a little know fact that she is an apostate from Holy Orthodoxy. At one point the Turks thought she had been hit by one of their agents, Buck Lava, but it turned out that he’d whacked some random Bulgarian woman selling feta in the marketplace. Made all the papers at the time!
LOL!
Seriously, I hope they catch the filth that did this!
Terrorism plain and simple MSM.
Was there ever a culprit found in those greek fires last summer that killed dozens?
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