site.btaUPDATED Bulgaria Not at Risk as Regards General Terrorism Threats - Prime Minister

"Bulgaria is not at risk as far as general threats of terrorist activity are concerned," Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said on Sunday. He added that the terrorism alert for the country remains "code green" (the lowest of three levels), "which means caution". The terrorism alert at sensitive sites such as airports, railway stations, synagogues and places where there are Israeli tourists, is a notch higher: "yellow". "The institutions have taken steps to minimize the risks of terrorist acts," the Prime Minister said. He noted that the alert for state institutions is "green".

State Agency for National Security (SANS) President Plamen Tonchev specified that the Transport and Communications Ministry is on "yellow" alert.

The Prime Minister, the SANS chief and other high-ranking officials gave a briefing after the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) met earlier in the day in connection with the Hamas group's attack on Israel, which started on Saturday.

Denkov said that the NCTC has met twice over the current fighting between the Palestinian Territories and Israel. After the meetings, a report was submitted to Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov, who coordinates counter-terrorism efforts in this country.

The government leader said the situation is rather volatile. He and the Bulgarian special services see a great risk of escalation of the conflict, which may set off bigger migrant movements and create risks related to the supply of raw materials. "There are more general risks at the global level, but we will discuss them in the coming days if necessary," Denkov said.

SANS President Tonchev warned of a lingering risk of members of terrorist organizations entering Bulgaria with the flow of migrants. Tonchev said the Bulgarian special services have no information from international partners or other sources about terrorist attacks on Israeli and Jewish sites in Europe, including Bulgaria. "There is no information about any specific plans and intentions of members of high-risk groups staying in Bulgaria to commit violent acts against Israeli and Jewish sites," he said.