Overview: With the assistance of the United States, the EU, and NATO, Bulgaria actively worked to develop improved counterterrorism measures. According to Bulgaria's lead agency for counterterrorism, the State Agency for National Security, Bulgaria is a potentially attractive target for terrorists based on its strong cooperation with its partners, as well as Bulgaria's large population of refugees, particularly from Syria and Iran. Bulgaria's creation of a Crisis Management Unit within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was developed in 2012 to strengthen Bulgaria's response to a terrorist attack, among other crises.

2012 Terrorist Incidents: On July 18, a terrorist attack was carried out on a passenger bus transporting Israeli tourists at the Burgas Airport. The bus was carrying 42 Israelis who had arrived on a flight from Tel Aviv. The explosion killed five Israelis, as well as a Bulgarian citizen, and injured 32 Israelis. While no organization publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, the plot bears the hallmark of Hizballah. On February 5, 2013, following a lengthy investigation, the Bulgarian government publically implicated Hizballah in the Burgas bombing.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: A revision to Bulgaria's penal code (enacted in 1968) has been drafted, which includes strengthened and improved definitions for terrorism and organized crime, but it had not been enacted by year's end.

Countering Terrorist Finance: Bulgaria is a member of Moneyval, the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism, a Financial Action Task Force-style regional body. For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, we refer you to the 2013 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume 2, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.

Regional and International Cooperation: Bulgaria participated in several bilateral and multilateral fora regarding security and assistance, including the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, the Proliferation Security Initiative, and the Nuclear Smuggling Outreach Initiative.

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