Bulgarian authorities have released a computer-generated image and a fake Michigan license of a suspected accomplice to the suicide bombing that killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver on July 18, AP reports.
The Interior Ministry said “there is data that the man is related to the terrorist attack at the airport.”
Police say they found the fake Michigan driver's license ID on the bomber and "originally believed the license belonged to the bomber who was decapitated in the July 18 explosion but say a facial reconstruction proved that was not the case," according to AP.
But the fake license released today is different than the one that was reportedly found at the scene (along with a U.S. passport).
Here is the fake license reportedly found at the scene:
Here is the fake license that authorities released today:
Authorities, who have struggled to identify the bomber, previously released a digitized representation of the primary suspect by reconstructing the badly damaged face of the attacker.
There have been several contradictions in the reports about the suspected attacker.
• Airport security footage showed the primary suspect as a Caucasian man dressed like a tourist.
• A forensic expert who took part in autopsies on the victims and the attacker told Bulgarian National TV that the bomber "had a white face, light eyes, and very thick brown hair."
• Prosecutors cited witness reports that the bombing suspect had dark eyes.
• The owner of a car rental company who denied the bomber a car on suspicion of his license described the suspect as having dark skin, short brown hair and speaking English with an Arabic accent.
BBC reported that she insisted to Bulgarian national TV that the man in the security footage was the same man, but he appeared to be wearing a wig.
The Bulgarian newspaper Troud reported that investigators believe "the bomber had two companions with him on the day of the attack, one of whom coordinated the operation while the other acted in support."
So perhaps witnesses described the European-looking bomber and an Arabic handler, but that wouldn't explain why the second fake ID was reportedly found on the bomber or why police have disregarded the first fake Michigan license.
Bulgaria's Channel 2 had previously named Mehdi Ghezali ast the bomber, but Swedish secret service and Bulgarian officials denied it.
On July 22 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS that Israel has "unquestionable…intelligence that this was done by Hezbollah backed by Iran."
U.S. officials have echoed those claims, and House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) went as far as urging President Obama to "call Iran on the carpet very publicly and tell them what we know” because this is "his time to stand up and do something bold."
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