New York, NY, February 5, 2013 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed Bulgaria’s indication of the terrorist group Hezbollah as responsible for the July 2012 Burgas terror attack on a busload of Israeli tourists and urged the European Union to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
The attack killed six people and wounded two dozen more.
In a statement, Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director said that “today’s announcement by Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov, implicating Hezbollah in the ongoing investigation into the Burgas terror attack against Israeli tourists, was an act of courage by the Bulgarian government and that “standing up to powerful killers of innocent Jews is a proud Bulgarian tradition.”
Hezbollah is widely considered the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world, having murdered of hundreds of U.S. military personnel, engaged in several military conflicts with Israel, and attacked as far away as Argentina.
“The indication that Hezbollah carried out an attack on European soil underscores the imperative for the European Union and NATO to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization,” Mr. Foxman added.
In a letter to Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Nikolay Mladenov, ADL conveyed its support for the findings and welcomed the announcement.
“One of the most important acts of solidarity by your EU partners would be to designate Hezbollah, in its entirety, as a terror organization, allowing law enforcement anywhere in the EU to act against their financing and operational activities.”
In October 2012, ADL reiterated its call to the European Commission to label Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and noted that its terrorist pursuits have been well documented for over thirty years.
Following the attack, the League called on the international community to ensure that the perpetrators be brought to justice.