Turkey, Bulgaria open investigation into terrorist who went to their countries

A right-wing extremist with semi-automatic weapons entered two mosques in the town of Christchurch during Friday prayer and killed 50 people and dozens injured, Kosovo reported.

A visitor, believed to be a 28-year-old Australian who has been arrested and charged with murder in New Zealand, had visited Turkey and “stayed in the country for a long time”, the Turkish official said without giving any more details.

“We think the suspect may have been in other countries (from Turkey) to Europe, Asia and Africa. We are investigating the movements and contacts of suspects in the country,” added the official, speaking under condition of anonymity, Al Jazeera reported.

Turkish media reported that a manifest published online by the detainee reportedly contained specific references to Turkey and the removal of the famous mosque “Ayasofya” in Istanbul and its minarets. The mosque now a museum was once a church before it turned into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire.

Likewise, Bulgaria earlier said it was investigating Australian movements that were arrested for murder after visiting Bulgaria in November 2018.

“A tourist, believed to be Brenton Harrison Tarrant, spent a week in Bulgaria and is supposed to have visited historic sites and study the history of the Balkan nation”, said Sotir Tsatsalov, Bulgaria's chief prosecutor.

He said the investigation would determine whether this was “correct or whether he had other targets”.

The same person also paid a brief visit to the Balkans in December 2016, traveling by bus through Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.