Radical Muslims Aim to Seize Power in Bulgaria

Our Bulgarian correspondent RR sends his translation of a news report describing a police raid on Islamic terrorists in several regions of Bulgaria. He says:

Worse news still from my home country. Just now I discovered and translated this. Salafists are at work in Bulgaria; local standoff with police.

Here’s the translated article from DNES. Notice that the radical group was established in the Netherlands and funded by the Saudis — brand-new cultural enrichment for Bulgaria, courtesy of the European Union:

Islamists want to seize power in Bulgaria

October 6, 2010 — A specialized operation to eradicate the activity of an unregistered chapter of the Islamist organization “Al Wakf al Islami” was carried out by forces of the Interior Ministry, the Agency of National Security and the Public Prosecution. It involved three regions of Bulgaria — Blagoevgrad, Pazarjik, and Smolyan.

A search of houses and offices used by the illegal organization was conducted, and huge amounts of “radical propaganda materials, aiming to incite religious hatred and overturn the constitutional order” were confiscated. Financial documents revealing illegal funding of the Islamist activists and tax evasion were also seized.

A preliminary judicial investigation against “unknown” perpetrators has been initiated, commented the speaker of the Regional Prosecution in Pazardjik Snezhana Stoyanova to the “Focus” News Agency. The investigation covers the period 2008-2009, during which time the “unknown activists” organized a group aiming to overthrow the constitutional order and to commit violent acts in order to implement “an antidemocratic social order” [Sharia — translator].

The searches began early this morning in the Velingrad municipality. Three detectives involved in the investigation are still at work to collect evidence.

“This is a branch of a radical Islamic movement — Salafism, that indoctrinated Bulgarian Moslems to believe that all the world should be subdued by the power of Islam,” added Stoyanova.

The Foundation “Al Wakf al Islami” was established in Eindhoven, the Netherlands and was financed by Saudi Salafists. After the 9-11 terrorist acts the central office of the Foundation was closed, as contacts between its structures and the perpetrators of 9.11 were disclosed…

Later in the day it was announced that a mob in the village of Laznica has surrounded the home of the local imam Mohamed Kamber. Inside the home are detectives from the police and the State Agency for National Security, who wanted to confiscate computer drives, CDs, and books in the Arabic language. The Imam stated that he and his relatives are insulted and suffer mental stress because of the police action. The mob will not allow the police agents to leave the house, unless they leave “the sacred books” inside. The mayor of the village and activists from the Turkish ethnic party “Rights and Liberties Movement” are trying to persuade the villagers to end the standoff. Additional police forces have been moved to the village, but they have not dispersed the crowd in order to avoid further riot…

Here’s further information about the same incident from the English-language Sofia Echo (hat tip DF):

Bulgaria Busts Radical Muslim Group

An unregistered branch of Islamist organisation Al-Waqf Al-Islam was bust in a joint operation by prosecutors, the Interior Ministry and the State Agency for National Security on October 6 2010, Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry said.

District prosecutors from Blagoevgrad, Pazardjik and Smolyan were involved in the raid.

During the raid, conducted at homes and offices, a large amount of propaganda material preaching religious hatred and the overthrow of Bulgaria’s constitutional order was found, along with financial documents showing illegal financial transactions and violations of tax laws, according to the ministry.

An organisation by that name was registered in Bulgaria in 1993. It has been involved in the financing of more than 150 mosques built in Bulgaria in recent years. In 1999, its representative in Bulgaria, Abdulrahim Taha, was expelled from Bulgaria for reasons of national security.

The October 6 Interior Ministry statement described the organisation that had been raided as unregistered.

The Eindhoeven headquarters have been the subject of monitoring by Western intelligence services. A 2002 report by the Netherlands intelligence service report alleged that Al-Waqf Al-Islam was linked to the propagation of radical Islam. The organisation describes itself as dedicated solely to charitable work.

The Interior Ministry statement said that the organisation was funded by circles in Saudi Arabia.

After the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the US office of Al-Waqf Al-Islam was shut down because of alleged links between members of the group and those who had prepared the terrorist attacks.