SHAHEEN CONDEMNS BULGARIA BOMBING THAT KILLED ISRAELI TOURISTS

(Washington, D.C.) – During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) condemned the tragic bombing in Bulgaria that killed Israeli citizens. Today’s hearing, which was chaired by Shaheen, focused in part on the nomination of Marcie B. Ries to be the Ambassador to the Republic of Bulgaria.

Shaheen’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:

As some of you may have already heard, this afternoon there was an explosion in Bulgaria on a bus carrying tourists from Israel.  It killed at least seven civilians and wounded many more.

Early reports suggest that this was a suicide bomb attack likely aimed at innocent Israeli civilians. 

If true, it represents the kind of cowardly attack that has been condemned by civilized society across the world.  We must all stand together to strongly condemn those individuals responsible for the attack and to hold accountable any associated terrorist organizations or nations who played a role in this heinous and senseless violence against innocent civilians. 

There have been a number of attempted attacks against Israeli diplomats in recent months around the world.  If this explosion proves to be a similar attack, it will be part of a troubling pattern that should not be accepted by the international community. 

I am confident that the United States will do everything in its power to work with Bulgarian and Israeli officials to fully investigate this attack and reveal those responsible.