New Zealand attacker in Bulgaria last year: officials

By Ihvan Radoykov

SOFIA (AA) - One of the shooters of the New Zealand terrorist attack spent a week in Bulgaria last year, according to an official announcement Friday.

Bulgaria’s Chief Public Prosecutor Sotir Tzatzarov said the Australian-born suspect Brenton Tarrant was in Bulgaria between Nov. 9-15 last year to visit historical sites.

After Tarrant travelled to the Romanian capital of Bucharest, and Hungary, with a rented car, the prosecutor said at a news conference.

Tzatzarov noted Tarrant had been traveling around Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and some Balkan countries with a rented car in 2016 as well.

Bulgarian Interior Minister Mladen Marinov said Tarrant’s contacts in Bulgaria and his sim card information are going to be investigated.

The country's Grand Mufti office strongly condemned the act of terrorist.

In a written statement made by the Chief Mufti, he emphasized that all kinds of violence against innocent people was an unacceptable crime and each of these actions was perceived as an attack against the all civilization.

*Writing By Dilara Hamit