Bulgarian Roma Party Fear Blast Was Ethnically Motivated

Police inspecting the site of the bomb attack in Sandanski. Photo by BGNES

Local representatives of Bulgaria Euroroma party have said they fear that ethnic hatred might have motivated the Friday blasting of their office in the south-western town of Sandanski.

This was revealed by the Blagoevgrad regional police head Georgi Kostov Saturday.

The powerful blast went off early Friday morning in front of the Euroroma Sandanski office, critically injuring a 59-year-old man, who Saturday has been transported for intensive care in Sofia.

Late Friday Bulgaria's Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov opined that the attack was "purely criminal," and was not politically or ethnically motivated.

However Saturday, Blagoevgrad region police commissar Georgi Kostov said that local Euroroma head Toni Angelov has expressed fears that the blast might have been ethnically motivated.

Kostov further said that a full assessment of the kind and quantity of explosives used in the attack is expected later Saturday.