site.btaLebanese Man Gets Two-Year Suspended Sentence in Bulgarian Court for Crime against Republic

The Sofia City Court has sentenced to two years in prison Bahjat Al-Makwasi for a crime against the Republic, the prosecution service reported Wednesday. This is a suspended sentence and is appealable.

The Court found the defendant innocent on the charges of propagating war.

He was found guilty of making audio and text messages in Bulgarian, Arabian, and English and sending these to two citizens via an electronic application as a means to spread fear among the population. In the messages, he threatens to kill, slaughter and cut every Jew, to avenge his relatives and to murder every American or Zionist. Immediately after sending these texts, the defendant sent a text message with an address to Allah that he will cut them into pieces, the prosecuting magistracy said.

The defendant was also found guilty of instigating a crime aimed at spreading fear among the population. He made and sent a video in Arabian to two witnesses calling on other people to commit murder and inflict bodily harm on every American or Zionist. He also called for revenge, talking about "blood for blood, destruction for destruction, murder for murder, a child for a child, let us seek revenge against every American or Zionist, do not forgive them, kill them."

Al-Makwasi was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 1, 1973. He has had a permanent residency status in Bulgaria for over 20 years and is divorced. He has been convicted but has been rehabilitated.