[Crvena zvezda]

Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has no information concerning AP report on Al-Qaeda members meeting in Sofia
March 23, 2002
BIH, BG
Sofia, March 23 The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has no information relating to a meeting in Sofia of Al-Qaeda members reported by The Associated Press. The Foreign Ministry has had no information either from the Bosnian authorities or from any other official sources regarding planning in Sofia of terrorists attacks on American targets in Europe, the Ministry's
Information Directorate said.
Quoting a high-ranking Bosnian official who insisted on anonymity, an AP correspondent reported from Sarajevo on Saturday that Al-Qaeda terrorists planned attacks on Americans in Sarajevo and other towns in Europe at a meeting in Sofia.
If the report proves to be trustworthy, the Foreign Ministry will check the information thoroughly. At this stage, it has asked the Bulgarian Embassy in Sarajevo to verify the AP report, the press release said.
A meeting of Al-Qaeda members in Sofia has not been dealt with by the Bulgarian services so far, Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Boiko Borissov told BTA. (Source: BTA)