site.bta US Embassy "Appreciates Proactive Measures Taken by Government of Bulgaria in Response to Threat Concerns" in Sofia Location

US Embassy "Appreciates Proactive Measures Taken by Government of Bulgaria in Response to Threat Concerns" in Sofia Location

Sofia, March 24 (BTA) - "The US Embassy appreciates the proactive measures taken by the Government of Bulgaria in response to threat concerns, and the Embassy continues to work closely with the Government of Bulgaria on counter-terrorism issues," the Embassy said Thursday. This followed a security message advising US citizens to avoid an eastern Sofia neighbourhood.

A March 23 posting on the Facebook page of the US Department of State: Consular Affairs warned US citizens that "the U.S. Embassy has received information of a possible threat against an unspecified bus line or bus lines in the vicinity of [what was formerly] Hotel Pliska."

The US Embassy also said: "The March 23 security message that the U.S. Embassy distributed to U.S. citizens concerning threats in Sofia is no longer in effect. Recent events in Europe underscore the need for all of us to exercise caution and be vigilant."

The Interior Ministry and the State Agency for National Security (SANS) checked the tip-off first received on the emergency phone number 112 and found that it had been prompted by relationship issues between a Bulgarian and a foreign citizen. During the check the Bulgarian services exchanged information with their international partners.

The SANS has no specific reliable data about a direct terrorist threat to Bulgaria and its representations abroad, the Agency's press office said. The SANS checked the tip-off concerning the vicinity of the former Pliska Hotel and found conclusively that there is no threat. The Agency takes account of the national security risks arising from the global rise in terrorism. The National Counter-terrorism Centre with the SANS interacts permanently with the units responsible for security and public order in Bulgaria and with the partner services.

SANS Chairman Dimiter Georgiev told Prime Minister Boyko Borissov the information about a threat of a terror attack in the Iztok neighbourhood was untrue, the government information service said.

Borissov said that there was no real threat to Sofia's residents and visitors and that he had all the details of the check by the Bulgarian services. "The tip-off was of a low risk level but in the current situation we must check each alleged threat. The way the US diplomats made public the information received from Bulgaria is absolutely unacceptable and improper. I want to assure the people of Bulgaria that the State checks every single tip-off of a possible threat, and will inform the public about anything posing even the smallest threat to their life and health."

Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova said police presence in the vicinity of the former hotel had been beefed up and public transport drivers had been warned to be extra vigilant.

Reacting to calls on the social media for avoiding the area, Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Georgi Kostov told BTA there was no information of a direct threat to Bulgaria.

The Interior Ministry said it had not identified any specific security threats. In the wake of the Brussels tragedy the Ministry has been receiving numerous alerts from concerned members of the public, all of which have been checked thoroughly. The Interior Ministry called on the public to keep calm.

***

Addressing students and lecturers at the Economics University of Varna, Emil Radev MEP (GERB/EPP) said Europe needs a single intelligence service. "No matter how strong the Member States' security services are, they cannot deal with the terrorist threat on their own," he said. It is only through the interaction of all EU services and with those of third countries that potential terrorists can be arrested and neutralized. The European Parliament is in process of adopting a Directive on Collection and Transfer of Air Passenger Record Data, which will further strengthen the services' potential, and the firearms directive is about to be amended, said Radev.