Bulgarian authorities have arranged the repatriation of the remains of the suicide bomber responsible for the 2012 Sarafovo airport attack to Lebanon. The news was reported by Agence France-Presse from Beirut, quoting a well-informed source.

The remains belong to Mohammad Hassan El Husseini, who carried out the deadly bombing at Burgas Airport on July 18, 2012. His family reportedly hired a lawyer to facilitate the return of his body, and negotiations were supported by Abbas Ibrahim, the former head of Lebanese intelligence, who communicated with Bulgarian officials during the process.

According to AFP’s source, the agreement for the repatriation was reached in 2023, during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The transfer is taking place now. Social media channels linked to the Shiite militant group have announced that Husseini will be buried today in a Hezbollah-run cemetery.

The attack at the Sarafovo airport resulted in the deaths of five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian bus driver, Mustafa Kyosov. Following the bombing, the European Union classified Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist organization.

In connection with the attack, a Bulgarian court sentenced two Lebanese-born men, Meliad Farah and Hassan al-Haj, to life imprisonment in absentia for their roles in the planning and execution of the bombing.

The Sarafovo airport bombing occurred on July 18, 2012, at Burgas Airport on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device on a bus carrying Israeli tourists shortly after their arrival from Tel Aviv. The blast killed five Israeli citizens and their Bulgarian bus driver, and injured over 30 others. The attack was the deadliest against Israeli nationals in Europe in recent years and was later attributed to individuals linked to Hezbollah.