Fake Bomb Threat Closes Down Sofia Main Mosque

Access to the area around Banya Bashi, Bulgarian capital Sofia's central mosque, has been shut down by police due to a bomb threat that turned out to be a fake.

Initially, police also closed the entrances to the Serdika 2 underground station nearby.

A man has called the police around 4 pm local time, saying that a bomb has been planted at the place of worship, according to Vsekiden.com.

Offnews.bg says that police have commented that they have recognized the voice as belonging to a man suffering from a mental disorder, who has previously made fake bomb calls.

There were people inside Banya Bashi at the time of the alert, and police have evacuated them to search the premises.

After a thorough search, it was ascertained that there is indeed no explosive device in the mosque.

On May 20, 2011, supporters and MPs from nationalist Ataka party participated in a violent protest against worshipers at Sofia's main mosque.

Earlier Tuesday, Ataka activists together with fellow nationalists from VMRO held a peaceful protest in front of the nearby headquarters of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms party, known to be supported by Bulgaria's Turkish minority.