Suicide Attack Targeting Israeli Tourists in Bulgaria Kills Seven

At least seven people were killed Wednesday in a suicide bombing on a bus in Bulgaria that targeted Israeli tourists.

The Washington Post reports that the dead include five Israelis, the bomber, and the bus driver, who was Bulgarian.

The bomber was apparently carrying a fake Michigan driver's license and wore shorts and a backpack. Bulgarian and Israeli intelligence services have enlisted the help of the FBI and CIA to identify the bomber via his remains. Bulgarian officials say that they are "working on the theory that this was a terrorist attack."

More from the Post:

"The blast occurred in the late afternoon outside the airport in Burgas shortly after a charter flight carrying 154 people, all but three of them Israeli citizens, arrived from Tel Aviv, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said. Israeli and Bulgarian media reported that the travelers had boarded buses that were to take them to a hotel, and the Bulgarian interior minister told Bulgarian radio that explosives had been planted on the vehicle, perhaps in passengers’ luggage."

Israel has blamed the attack on Iran. Bloomberg Business Week reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that "all signs" point to the Islamic Republic, adding, "Israel will respond forcefully to Iranian terror." The Israeli government had warned its citizens several weeks ago that there could be an attack in Bulgaria—a popular tourist destination for Israelis.

Iran, on state TV, called Israel's accusations "ridiculous." Israel will ask the U.N. Security Council for sanctions against Iran that include a ban on foreign travel by all holding an Iranian passport, and a ban on Iranian planes landing abroad, according to Bloomberg.