Bulgaria says bomber was foreigner; Israel buries victims

July 21, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

McClatchy Newspapers

TEL AVIV

The suicide bomber who killed five Israelis and their Bulgarian driver was a foreigner, authorities in Sofia said Friday, as Israel had funerals for the victims.

Interior Minister Tsevetan Tsetanov told a press conference in Sofia that the suspect, who also died in Wednesday’s blast at Burgas airport, had entered Bulgaria more than a week earlier.

Police in Bulgaria now believe the bomber spent at least four days in the Black Sea town of Burgas before his attack.

The Interior Ministry said experts from the United States, Switzerland and France were set to help Bulgaria investigate the bombing, as Interpol deploys an Incident Response Team to the country.

In Israel, meanwhile, funerals took place for the victims of the bombing.

Itzik Colangi, 28, was laid to rest in his hometown of Petah Tikva, east of Tel Aviv. His wife, Gilat, was seriously injured and was only told of his death Friday morning. Doctors did not let her attend the funeral.

The couple’s 4-month-old baby had been left in the care of grandparents while they were intending to enjoy a long weekend away in Bulgaria with Amir Menashe, Itzik Colangi’s childhood friend, who also was killed, and his wife, Natalie, who was injured.