Bulgaria Cautious on Reports about Rifles Used in Paris Attacks

It will be difficult to establish the origin of rifles allegedly used in the deadly attacks in Paris last week which according to some reports were made in Bulgaria.

This is what Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev told journalists on Thursday after public broadcaster BNT claimed, citing its own "well-acquainted" sources, the weapons were manufactured in the country back in the 1980s.

Nenchev said that, even if one assumes the rifles were assembled here, the country "cannot be held accountable" for them.

"Many countries produce weapons across the globe, Bulgaria included. How a weapon appeared from one place to another can be established," Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov told journalists on the sidelines of a Parliament hearing on Thursday.

Asked about the reports, PM Boyko Borisov explained: "To be able to say the rifle is Bulgarian, it should be sent here so that our experts can examine it. As for this moment there has been no such request and we don't have such information. This kind of rifle has not been exported [from Bulgaria] over the past 15-20 years, I can say that for sure."

The BNT's reports did not suggest whether the attackers bought the weapons in Bulgaria or in another country.