BNT, „Denyat zapochva“
Ivo Nikodimov
You haven't spoken for a whole week since the attack. Let's start from there - what exactly happened, what exploded, how did it explode?
- The reason I agree to talk today is the following - first of all, I want to thank my colleagues from all over the country, from the European Union and the European institutions for the support they provided to the Bulgarian prosecutor's office. Next, I am aware of the public interest, I have also seen the wave of speculation that has erupted in recent days.
Briefly, the situation is as follows - I was returning home travelling on the usual route, at a turn in the road, an explosion was heard. There is a bridge maybe 10m away from the place of explosion. On that day, there was quite a lot of traffic on the entire route, and only 2-3 minutes after we continued with the car, we passed more than 10 cars that were moving towards Samokov. What I am most happy about is that nobody got hurt that day. We drove away in the direction of Sofia and the colleagues from the National Security Service (NSS) took me to the NSS building. Otherwise, the investigation and the expertise that have been appointed will reveal what exactly happened.
In a nutshell, I know the following from Counter-Terrorism Squad officials, as well as from the Israeli expert who is probably one of the best experts in the State of Israel in the field of investigation of terrorist attacks. According to these people, although there are no expertise opinions prepared yet and these are the most likely theses, the place is very well chosen. My Israeli colleague made a very good analysis. According to him, and according to the Counter-Terrorism Squad officials, it was an extremely professional job that went on for a long time
Contrary to the claims and the theories that have been developed in the media recent days, the explosion was directed to the highway, to the road, and not as to dig searching for ore. Apparently, metal balls were placed, which after 15 m almost cut through a tree. What the Israeli colleague told me is that in less than a second, maybe an idea more, if that blast wave had hit one of the car doors, he personally cannot guarantee what the outcome would have been and whether the car would have last. It is a question of mathematics, of expertise.
I am surprised by the claims of some "experts" in recent days. It turned out that there are more explosion experts in Bulgaria than in the State of Israel who claim to be sure what the result would be. I am extremely glad that none of the many people who were traveling on this day towards Samokov were hurt.
In order to avoid any kind of speculation and not to be somehow lost in translation - am I to understand that after you heard and felt that explosion, the vehicle kept moving, your guard did not stop at the scene, you did not stay there, and you were taken directly to the NSS building?
I can say what I have personally perceived. At one point I felt the car even move to some extent, perhaps from the blast wave. I even got the impression that at one point the car did not move. And the fact that we moved away from the place, as far as I understand, is a protocol rule that the NSS officers follow. One of the first things I did was to call an ambulance, because within just a few minutes I saw more than 10 cars coming in the opposite direction of me. Again - it's a miracle that no one got hurt.
Who were you in the car with? Was your family inside?
I was with NSS officials, as I am almost every time. And the reason I am answering your questions is that there is clearly an attempt to replace the main question. And the main question is - is it normal to detonate an explosion next to the car of a Prosecutor General of a EU country, and what time are we living in, what years are we going back to. I understand the attempts of speculations to divert the topic, but we need to ask ourselves more serious questions - what years are we going back to, what country do we live in, what is the media environment like and what messages are given to the Bulgarian citizens. Is it important who you traveled with, whether your relatives were in danger, or is it more important that perhaps no Bulgarian citizen can feel safe in the situation that this is happening to the Prosecutor General of EU country.
However, why did it come to this situation that your deputy apologized for saying you were with your family, where was the misunderstanding?
Anyone can hardly predict what will be the reaction of a person in such situation. I communicated informally with your colleagues by messaging. They asked me how I was. I wrote that I am fine, but I am worried about my children. And that, I think, is the normal reaction of any normal person at this point.
After that, various improvisations started in the media that I was with my family, which made it necessary for me to announce on Facebook that I have not made and will not make official statements on the case. But obviously, this turned out to be insufficient, and now I have to answer this question. Otherwise, Mr Sarafov probably did not consider the whole situation in his speech, but I do not see it as bad thing to apologize for your mistake. I did not hear the Minister of the Interior to apologize for saying that there was a suspect for this bombing and for this explosion. I guess you haven't heard either. Such a figure, by the way, does not exist in the Bulgarian Criminal Procedure Code. It is not bad that he, and the Bulgarian politicians, who have been talking incoherently in recent days, start apologizing. Maybe if we start apologizing for mistakes, we will live in a better country.
There are significant differences between the claims of the investigators and those of the Interior Minister, both about the force of the blast and its overwhelming power, the damage. Why are these discrepancies? They are also where the thesis that this is a staged attack finds ground. The supporters of this thesis see arguments to support it precisely in these discrepancies. Who was the Israeli expert who visited the scene of the blast, when and how did he arrive in Bulgaria, on what occasion?
Now I cannot answer why the interim Interior Minister Mr Demerdzhiev is making any statements. At least he has not visited the scene of crime. Next, according to the Bulgarian Criminal Procedure Code, he is not involved in this investigation and has no right to disclose information. The investigation is being conducted by investigators from the National Investigation Service (NIS). His own employees have verbally stated to the investigators from NIS that it was an explosion with at least 3 kilograms of TNT equivalent.
So I do not wish to comment on these statements of Minister Demerdzhiev. I attribute them to the chaos that ensued after that bombing. Anyone who knows or doesn't know heard something on the internet and makes some statements or tries to extract dividends or become media famous. What the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office says is true. I say again - these 3 kg of TNT equivalent, which were quoted, were stated verbally by Specialized Counter-Terrorism Squad employees. Of course, there is expertise to come.
I continue to find it strange how the Minister and others state categorically things that should only be clear after preparation of the expert reports. Personally, I welcome the willingness of the colleagues from the National Investigation Service to involve Europol officers. Discussions are ongoing with other partner services and, of course, in this way I do not question the capacity of the Bulgarian experts.
This Israeli expert, believe me, who should know, knows who he is. He has a rich past and has seen many more explosions than Minister Demerdziev. So, without offending him, I can rather say that I trust the opinion of this person, who to some extent is part of the history of the State of Israel, more than Minister Demerdziev.
How far has the investigation reached so far? What do you know?
I can't say how far it has reached because I'm not supervising this investigation. As Prosecutor General, I have no right to receive information. The only thing I know is that colleagues are actively trying and will involve international experts. Because this is an unprecedented act, as representatives of the European Parliament have said, this is an attack on the rule of law.
Why haven't you commented anything all week?
Do you think that the most important thing in this situation was for me to comment on this case? First of all, I will say that the comment would interfere with the investigation at that point, and I will say that I want to get my bearings on the situation, to clear my mind of the problems.
We find you in New York. What are you doing there? As far as we understand from Istanbul you have landed directly in New York.
This is a program that was agreed months ago. So I am following my programme. I will have meetings in New York. As you know there is a war near to our country. After the aggression in Ukraine, the whole democratic world is in danger. You see what the problems are in Bulgaria with crime, and in order to ensure peace for the Bulgarian citizens, we must develop our partnerships. Next, if I break the programme, it will show that I am afraid. Believe me, I am not afraid. Some other people must be afraid.
What level are the meetings according to the program in New York?
We will let you know in the coming days.