Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

New arrests over radical Islam in Bulgaria

Photo: BGNES

In the Bulgarian cities of Pazardzhik, Plovdiv and Asenovgrad the Prosecution has pressed charges on 8 people over the case against followers of the “Islamic State." This way charges have been pressed against a total of 15 people. A similar operation was carried out by the Prosecution, the Agency for National Security Agency and the Interior Ministry in November last year in five Bulgarian cities. Then 7 people were arrested for preaching radical Islam mainly in the Roma neighborhoods. Now charges involve participation in a group that advocates extremist religious ideology, the creation of caliphate and resorts to war propaganda. Witnesses claim that the arrested used Facebook to spread calls for jihad and violence, and one of their comments read: 'We declare jihad and will cut the heads of captured infidels." According to the prosecution, the group sought popularity not only in Bulgaria but wanted to establish contacts with "Islamic State" and to receive funding from the organization. The circumstances surrounding the case are somewhat confusing and contradictory. The leadership of the Islamic religion in Bulgaria claims that there is no radical Islam in this country. Some experts on Islamic affairs and security experts are of the opinion that it was not a matter of radical but of political Islam and operations like those carried out in Bulgaria have become commonplace across the world. Experts also claim this country needed urgent law changes in order to avoid future risks. Even the prosecution avoided blaming the arrested of "radical Islam" and holds them responsible for preaching "anti-democratic ideology." Keeping in mind the circumstances, the actions of law enforcement authorities seem insecure. Insecure before threats for decapitating infidels... And this is mostly because of the absence of a law to criminalize activities associated with radical Islam, or political Islam, because the danger of these actions is too obvious.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Plovdiv once again opens its doors to the largest exotic animal exhibition in the Balkans

On December 14 and 15, just days before the Christmas holidays, Plovdiv will once again host EXOTIC EXPO – the Bulgarian professional exhibition for exotic animals. The event is being organized for the third consecutive year and is the largest of..

published on 12/13/24 12:36 PM

2024 Human of the Year awards to be presented

The annual human rights awards Human of the Year will be presented for the seventeenth time at a ceremony today. The event takes place on the eve of International Human Rights Day - 10 December. The awards have no monetary value. Their purpose is to..

published on 12/8/24 10:17 PM

Bulgarian university students celebrate their holiday

8 December is the day on which Bulgarian university students traditionally celebrate their holidays. The holiday is very popular in Bulgaria and often brings together not only current but also former students. The day was first celebrated in 1903..

published on 12/8/24 12:16 PM