site.btaBulgarian Detained for Paris Holocaust Memorial Vandalism Released on Bail in Sofia

The Sofia City Court has released on a BGN 5,000 bail a Bulgarian national, identified as G.F., detained at the request of France for alleged vandalizing of the Memorial de la Shoah (the Holocaust Museum) in Paris and buildings in the 4th and 5th arrondissements, the Sofia City Prosecution Office said on Monday, specifying that it had moved for the man's indefinite detention in custody but the court denied the motion.

G.F. was detained in Sofia on July 25 in connection with some 35 graffiti images of red hands found daubed on buildings in Paris. The action was taken in execution of a European Arrest Warrant issued by the French authorities on July 19, 2024 in connection with pending criminal proceedings for participation in an organized crime group, ethnically and racially motivated destruction and damage of another's property after conspiracy with other persons. The warrant states that the image of the red hands is associated with the killing of Israeli soldiers in Ramallah in 2000.

Following the arrest, the man was detained for up to 72 hours by a prosecutor's order.

Last week, the State Agency for National Security reported that two Bulgarians suspected of vandalizing the Memorial de la Shoah in Paris on May 14 were detained in this country on July 25. A third Bulgarian national has been detained on the territory of another EU Member State.