site.btaBulgarian Authorities Deliver to Turkiye Fugitive Suspect in November Istanbul Terror Attack

The Bulgarian authorities have handed over to Turkiye a terrorist suspect involved in the bombing on Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue on November 13, 2022, which claimed six lives and injured 81 people.

Turkiye's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Tuesday that thanks to the Bulgarian authorities, Hazni Golge, a key organizer of the bombing, had been arrested. He was referring to the terrorist who helped Bilal Hassan escape from the country. Hassan delivered the explosive materials to the perpetrator of the attack, Ahlam Albashir.

Soylu said they found that one of the terrorists who had aided Hassan to escape from Edirne was in Bulgaria. "We discussed the issue with (authorities in) Bulgaria. They delivered him (Golge) to us in Edirne at around 6 pm (local time). We thank Bulgaria for the cooperation," Soylu said.

His statement was aired live on Kanal24 TV.